Red vs Blue Season 18
by Monty Mason
Summary: Carolina now finds herself embroiled in a new conflict. One where she has a personal stake in, to destroy those who are responsible for the murders of many and her guilt. But will she be able to do this alone or require help from an army to bring an end to 'Cradle of Hope? - Not an adaption of the official season. -
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Red vs Blue IP nor any of the core characters used in this story. Rooster Teeth and any other investing parties are the rightful owners for all of that. I however do own the story as well as any original characters in here.**

 **For when RoosterTeeth releases the official Season 18, this fanfiction is not meant to be related to that in shape or form. This is simply a sequel to my "Red vs Blue Season 17" fanfiction.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Two men stood in a brightly lit room amidst the several computer monitors. One older man studied the reports the other had compiled and with intense focus he nodded his head. He was the supervisor to the young man in his presence. The senior ran his fingers through his short black hair as his black eyes scanned the personality section of the report. He flexed his eyebrows, one of which was permanently scarred from his past, a job gone wrong.

The young man adjusted the band on his small stub in his dirty blond hair and looked at his mentor with his crystal clear blue eyes. "What do you think master?"

"I'm not your master," the senior replied easily in his age of early forties. "Not anymore. You are a fully fledged assassin and as such I have nothing left to teach you. Call me by my name."

"Understood, Siris."

"This is quite an interesting individual you have picked up," Siris motioned around the report through the air unsure of what to make of her. "Her psychological reports suggest hints of imbalance, but her military record speaks for itself on just how capable she is."

"If we could get her on our side, she would be a tremendous asset."

"I agree, but what are your reasons for taking such an interest in her?'

The young assassin averted his eyes towards her picture and shook his shoulders. "Beats me, I just figured she was strong is all."

"Listen kid," Siris put down a tablet and stared at his young colleague sternly in the eyes. "Don't screw this up because of some personal reasons. If she can be as capable as the report suggests, then she will be able to help roll the ball along much faster."

"I know. Even I am not stupid enough to sacrifice the goals of our organization just for my own personal reasons," the assassin explained crossing his arms in agitation. He didn't appreciate being treated like an ignorant, and somewhat of a stupid man. Siris turned back to look at the orange haired woman, the green eyes that reminded him so much of nature's purity. But the last name raised concerns for him. _Carolina Church… will she be alright or pose the issues her father once posed to the UNSC?_

The assassin activated his arm panel and pulled up a map with a blinking light. The light originated from where Carolina's apartment resides. He put up his hood and waved to his senior. "If you need me, contact me via the private channels. I am going to be doing a little recon work on Ms. UNSC."

"Don't get too infatuated with her," Siris noted with the shake of his head. The assassin smirked back and waved his hand. "No promises, after all, she maybe a keeper."

"Mind on the job, not in the gutter," Siris stated in an indifferent tone leading the assassin to comply. He jumped out of the underground base and out onto the fields nearing the edge of the city. He ran into the city and activated his optical camouflage. _I hope you show me some more interesting things about yourself from now on Ms. UNSC_.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back with a new fanfiction, and the second entry in my second trilogy for a Red vs Blue fanfiction. Hopefully you are looking forward to it. This one will pick up where the first entry left off with the intention of expanding the story and building up to the final entry!**

 **It also goes back to the more traditional structure of action story telling rather than being a mix between slice of life and action.**

 **This fanfiction will also be bigger in scale. I aim to bring back some other characters from the Red vs Blue universe into a grand story adventure.**

 **What did you think about the prologue?**

 **Was it something that got you interested in the roles these characters will play?**

 **Uploads will happen whenever a chapter is written, edited and all the finishing touches have been added. There is no set upload schedule.**

 **You may also see recommendations for music from me to listen to while you read a particular scene. That basically means that I listened to that music quite a lot while writing the scene itself and hence represents it quite well.**

 **~ Monty**


	2. The Invitation

**Red vs. Blue Season 18**

 **Chapter 1: The Invitation**

From the walls of a small apartment, the city was sound asleep. It was the time for night owls at an approximate 2:00 AM. She however was not one of those owls, yet her mind afforded her no sleep. She sat in front of a small camera attached to a computer and adjusted her orange hair. Her green eyes that scanned the illuminating program that shone a bright light in the dark corners of the room were surrounded by the stressed veins ready to pop open. Her body was slouching with tiredness, equipped to drop asleep without a moment's notice. But no matter how much she tried to let go of the worries that plagued her, the voice in her head would still remain.

 _You should have done better to save him. Madison wasn't beyond saving and it was your fault that he died! You didn't act fast enough!_

Guilt was always staring her down. She had grown afraid to look over her own shoulder for the past would be there waiting, his face was there begging for answers. Why didn't she try hard enough?

She had tried many different things to induce sleep. She tried a healthier diet and a more intense workout. Fatigue as she thought may help resolve the sleep issues. She worked harder at a newly founded construction site. She sweated harder. She even went as far as to indulge in the more alcoholic beverages. But nothing worked. Soon she felt she may have to request prescribed sleeping medication. The thought of asking for such medicine scared her. She had never needed such things before, at least not in this situation. The thought of becoming reliant on such drugs scared her even more.

She straightened out her clothes and ignored the worried expressions Church, her companion AI gave to her. She reached forward and switched on the camera. The computer interface began loading the connection to her much needed faucet. The bar went round and round, and with every second passed was another anxious heartbeat accounted for. _How many days has it been since I last talked to them?_

The screen suddenly cleared to the familiar helmets of her family. Washington got everyone gathered together in blue base, much to the chagrin of Sarge. Caboose showed clear excitement jumping up and down from the back. "Hey Carolina!"

An innocent smile plastered across her face. They were safe, and seemed healthy. That was enough to bring her some happiness amidst her guilt infested mind. "It's good to see you Caboose."

"How have you been holding up?" the man in the blue and yellow armor asked. She wearily shook her head, an answer substantive enough for them to understand her current state. Tucker stepped forward and asked. "Why not just come back here then?"

"That is beginning to sound like a good idea with every passing day," Carolina smirked as Church agreed with Tucker's suggestion. "But I can't. I am under contract from the UNSC to complete a certain number of missions, remember?"

She rested her forehead in her hands and sighed heavily. "But that will be the day to remember when it comes, should it ever come."

"You can't give up like that Carolina," Wash implored as he did his best to cheer her up. Carolina appreciated their efforts, but knew her own health better than anyone else. This was not a matter to be fixed so easily. "Could you say the same thing if you were plagued with nightmares like I am every night?"

The whole room went silent. The silence was growingly becoming awkward. Wash seemingly hesitated for a moment. "W- What do you see?"

"The face of that child whose mother died on top of him, and the face of Madison who I failed to save."

"Hold up now," Wash held up a firm hand. "You know what happened with them wasn't your fault. Madison was set on committing that act of terror. The child's situation could not be helped either. You didn't know how the debris would fly."

"And yet I still feel their stares hanging over my head, constantly judging me."

"Sis," Church called out from the holographic display unit. "He is right. It's not easy to move on or come to terms with this but if you accept that it wasn't your fault, you will be able to move on that much faster."

"If anyone is to blame here, it would be those terrorist fucks," Grif stated with much animosity in his voice. Suddenly the deranged Captain Muffins walked in. "Does anyone know where I can get a good cup of tea around here?"

"I'm on the case Muffins!" Donut ecstatically answered as he left to prepare a fresh batch. Muffins stared at the rest of the group and the screen. His face brightened at the woman on the monitor. "Oh hai Carolina, how's it going?"

The once serious atmosphere quickly began to die down, leaving nothing but an empty shell. Carolina's face quickly turned to disgust, but she did her best to hide it. "Terrible."

"Oh come on very hot and attractive, but scary freelancer lady," Muffins did a macho walk towards the monitor. "It can't be all that bad. Papa Muffins is here for you with a ready ear to lend."

Carolina glared at Church who was busy holding back his laughter. She let out a disgusted sigh and in a comically broken voice said. "T- Thanks…I think."

"Good, wunderbar, fantastic!" he raised his hands ordered for Buttmunch to come close. "Fetch me a cinnamon bun in light of this victory!"

She felt her headache from earlier return. "I think I will sign off for now."

"Sure, just be sure to take care of yourself," Wash understandably noted. "Church, look after her for us."

"You got it," Church waved his hand from afar and prompted Carolina to cut the connection. She rubbed her eye and looked out a nearby window. The bright neon lights were brimming with energy every night. But just like her mind, her world had become somewhat dim as well. She stretched her arms and went to try and sleep for the night.

* * *

The next day, her eyes were red and there were visible eye bags. To anyone paying attention, it was clear as day that she had skipped out on her sleep. One of her co-workers approached her patting her on the shoulder. "Not enough sleep again?"

"I'm fine," she reassured. "It won't affect my work."

"That's not what I'm worried about," he answered pointing to her shaking hands as she held a beam over her left shoulder. "Finish your current task and then go home Carolina. We can't afford to keep a walking safety hazard on site."

 _That's just great_. She put the beam down and wiped her forehead clean. From time to time it still felt like she could see Madison standing at the base of the new space center building they were working on. His death was still very fresh in her mind. One of her other co-workers came to help setup the beam. The two began to secure it in place when she was again interrupted, this time by the site supervisor. "Carolina, there is a man here wanting to speak with you. Go ahead. I will take care of things here."

"Thanks," she wondered who would visit her on site. Slowly and steadily, she walked towards the exit of the construction site and noticed a plump man dressed professionally. His face was covered by a large hat. His hands covered in gloves to protect them from the recently cold and snowy weather. He held out a small envelop. "You are Carolina Church I presume?"

"Yes, I am," she approached warily. "Who are you?"

"I have a message for y-"

"You didn't answer my question."

The man went silent, contemplating the correct response for a moment. "Call me Ben. I'm here to deliver a message on behalf of someone you have come into contact with two times previously. He does not wish to disclose his identity through me. Just that he wanted me to give this to you."

She reached out and took the light envelop. She opened it up to see a note inside. When she looked up, the man was already gone. _Cryptic messengers with cryptic messages, great_. She finished her work for the day and prepared to leave. Inside the locker room she took a peek in the envelop, and the message it carried. The contents both surprised and distressed her. It was a short message telling her to come to a local church. But it was the sender that left her speechless. It was from the assassin she had encountered twice before on her missions according to what the message claimed. _Are you finally going to give me some answers?_

She took out her jacket, gloves and handbag and left for the supervisor's office. _It seems that I will be taking the day off tomorrow_.

* * *

 **A/N: As I mentioned before, this will be more or less written in my traditional format for Red vs. Blue fanfictions. That means the pacing will be faster after the initial setups unlike "Red vs. Blue Season 17" which was a mix of slice of life/Drama/Action, but mostly slice of life. While there will be a fair bit of drama in this trilogy as a whole, "Season 18" and "Season 19" will have more action as well.**

 **I hope that was an enjoyable start as well as quite a good pickup point after the things Carolina went through in "Season 17".**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read, I appreciate it!**

 **Constructive feedback is appreciated as well! :)**

 **~ Monty**


	3. Let's Talk

**Chapter 2: Let's Talk**

The grey clouds that hanged cast a shadow over the city. The snowflakes that dropped piled up on the streets. This fresh new morning that she awoke to was also a sign of future snowfalls only worsening. For once her body felt rested even if only little. Carolina had managed to get some sleep, but more was left to be desired. It was nearing the time on the message for her meeting. She put on her coat, and gently wrapped a black toque around her forehead. Church studied her anxious form as well as her heart rate. "Going to see that assassin prick?"

Carolina let out a heavy yawn and nodded her head. "What's gotten you so riled up Church?"

"Trusting a strange message from a strange man to meet a strange person," Church retorted with his arms crossed rather cautiously. "Doesn't this sound like a setup to you?"

"It might be," she motioned a small pocket knife and hid it in her coat. "But I don't exactly have any other leads on who that assassin is and what can I do about the terrorist organization."

"Remember, I can't help you other than feed you tactical data. So do watch out for yourself."

"I'm well aware and I appreciate the concern," she smiled and motioned for him to transfer over to her implants.

* * *

She put on her snow shoes and left into the cold streets. Her breath literally escaped her. She felt the cold sensation of the snow landing on her cheeks. Carolina lowered her head to find the snow already a centimeter thick. She began to tread towards the location of the meet. On her way, she came across her old workplace where Madison died. The site was still barricaded by the police, and cleanup persisted but made slow progress.

She lowered her head as a sign of respect. He was a man driven to terrorism by the madness of losing his family and the vices of humans. _I hope you are at peace where ever you are Madison. Maybe you have finally met your family again_. She continued to walk past the site after creating eye contact with one of the cleanup workers. She crossed over from one street to the next until she finally reached her destination. She rubbed her hands together and let out a heavy breath.

The loud bells of the local church echoed in their surroundings. Carolina looked up to find a large wooden door. In this day and age, it seems that some things had yet to change. Carolina checked the hour on her watch and made it just in the nick of time. She entered the building and found it to be mostly empty barring a few priests and nuns. They gladly welcomed her with open arms and encouraged her to send prayers to their lord.

* * *

She sat in one of the rows with her head down. Her breaths were wild in an effort to catch whatever warmth they could retain in her body. The doors behind her creaked open, she looked up and back, no one was there. _Strange_. But she was far too concerned with her own body heat to think about anything else. As she turned her head back towards the front where a large statue of Jesus stood, she felt the sharp sting of a warm blade resting against her back. She tried to look back, but was quickly discouraged. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Ms. UNSC."

He was here. He had the upper hand and left her completely defenceless. She obediently looked ahead and took a deep breath to recover from the jump scare. "Why don't you show yourself instead of talking to me like this coward? You are the one who called me out here after all."

"I prefer to keep things a mystery if you will," he embellished. "It helps keep me on my toes. Plus who doesn't love a good mystery?"

"Why did you call me out here of all the places? You wouldn't be able to escape me so easily in this place."

"Churches are one of the few places that are free from surveillance," he pushed the blade a little closer to Carolina in response to her overconfident threat. "As for catching me, let's just say that I probably have the greater agility out of the two of us."

He chuckled to himself which left Carolina wanting to stand up and beat the answers out of him. This routine was getting tiresome. "You know, I didn't think you would show up. Skipping work to do it of all things, what a naughty woman you are."

"Get to the point already," her voice was beginning to sound a little annoyed. He shook his head and let out a sigh. "Well excuse me for trying to get friendly here Ms. UNSC, or rather Carolina. Which would you prefer?"

"Neither to a stranger like you," she leaned back and nudged at the blade. "And I don't think our ideas of friendships match."

"Fair enough, but I have my own interests to watch out for. I can't risk you screwing things up for us."

"Us?"

"Yes mam," he nonchalantly replied. "The organization that will open up your world while you are here in this country, the organization of your dreams."

"Don't test my patience anymore than it has been already."

"Scary," he lowered his head and whispered. "She is a lot like you. Or rather you are a lot like her. The similarities are what make you really scary."

 _Now what is he going on about?_ She wondered trying to decipher his cryptic tone. The assassin reached into one of his pockets beneath the slim body armor and threw down a small card to Carolina's right. "I called you out here to offer you a chance to avenge those who died because of the terrorists. You give us your skills, and we give you an opportunity to be able to get a good night's sleep. It's a fair trade wouldn't you say?"

"You have been spying on me," she concluded as the assassin easily agreed. "It's not hard to when you are so clueless about the environment around you, even if you have lived here for a while already."

"Just…whose side are you on?"

"We are playing the side game now? Let's see, should I pretend to be the perfect knight in shining white armor or the one whose ledger is filled with crimson red?"

"Answer the damn question already!"

"Learn to lighten up Ms. UNSC," The assassin's voice became a little serious at her sudden rebuttal. "Being so serious and brooding won't help you or anyone else. Life will just happen, so chill."

He contemplated his words for a few minutes before granting her an answer more to her liking. "Let's just say that we are not on the side that is planting those explosives and involving innocents into those incidents. We would much rather prefer peace, law and order over whatever ideals these terrorists are driven by."

Carolina looked at the card with an address on it. He smirked to himself noticed the serious look on her face. "Really now, I just told you to chill and you get even more serious. It's such a shame. You have quite a beauty about you, too bad it's wasted like this."

"I don't need your advice or your consolation," she answered with bitterness in her voice. She wasn't ready to be buddy-buddy with this man, especially not after how he stole her targets right from under her nose in the past. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said. "If you are interested in joining us, come to the address on the card tomorrow night. It is the same building where we last met. You will find me on the rooftop there."

The assassin activated his arm panel. "Remember, we are offering you an opportunity to do more than what your limited resources can with the UNSC here in America. We are offering you an opportunity to work with us to bring down the terrorists that plague the society. You have experienced their victimization first hand. I hope you make the proper choice."

* * *

Suddenly she no longer felt the tip of the blade against her. She stood up to see the church doors closing. She ran outside and found no suspicious individual, nor any trace left behind by her recent conversationalist. _That's just great_. Carolina scorned at her surroundings and kicked the snow in frustration. _He got away again, like always_. She held out the card she was given. _What do I do about you?_

* * *

 **A/N: Things are moving along, and have kicked off to a rather moderately paced start. What do you all think about the Assassin's character so far based on what little has been given about him?**

 **Also as a reply to a recent review (even though I have already done it through a PM) for the rest of the readers to see. The review asked if I would do any side story of sorts with the Blood Gulch Crew. Answer is no. There will be no side stories this time around and all of the focus will be poured into the main story. The Blood Gulch Crew will get a substantive appearance in this season later on down the line as they play a critical role in helping Carolina. How they help is something you will have to wait and see :).**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter. Constructive feedback is appreciated!**

 **~ Monty**


	4. To Act or Not to Act

**Chapter 3: To Act or Not to Act**

Carolina opened her eyes at the sound of her bedside alarm. She was once again able to get a couple hours worth of sleep. But it was not enough to free her of her red fatigued eyes. She sloppily got up and slammed shut the alarm. Church noticed the groggy noises originating from Carolina's bedroom. The energy output from the holographic device increased alerting her to his presence. She slowly stood up and with the support of the wall, she trudged forward.

"Looks like you got up for nothing sis."

Carolina eyed her balcony and noticed the blizzard outside. She placed a hand on the glass door which sent shivers through her body. _God dammit, I got up for nothing then_. She turned on her phone and checked for any messages. As expected, there was one from her company telling everyone to stay home today. The work was cancelled for as long as the blizzard persisted. She threw down her phone on the couch and stretched backwards. She bent forward stretching her arms and looked up at her bed hair in the glass's reflection.

Carolina ran her hand through her wild hair strands and walked into the bathroom. _Where did I put that brush?_ She rummaged through the various products and finally found it. _I could go back to sleep_. She tried closing her eyes to once again welcome it. _But it doesn't look like I will be falling asleep that easily again_. Having straightened out her hair, it took on a natural wavy form. She undid the buttons on her pajamas and threw them to the side.

"Sis, what do you plan on doing about what _that_ man told you?"

She turned on the hot water and threw aside her underwear. She stepped into the shower and felt the hot contact to be a welcomed bliss. "What do you think I should do?"

"If I had an answer, I would have shared it a long time ago."

"Then how about an opinion?"

"You are asking an A.I. to give an opinion," he chuckled at the thought. "Well if I had to give one, I would say only use them for as long as they will be useful. Get rid of them at the first sight of trouble."

"That's rather cruel even by your standards Church," Carolina rinsed her hair and washed out the lavender soap. Church agreed. "But there are times you need to be cruel to do the right thing."

"And what if it isn't the right thing?"

"Then we will have buggered up pretty badly won't we?"

Carolina stepped out of the shower and dried off her body. She reached for a fresh batch of clothes she kept near the shower in case she ever forgot to bring some. "That would be a big screw up indeed."

"I think it just comes down to whether or not you benefit from joining them and how much of a threat they really pose if you don't join them."

Carolina nodded her head in agreement. She stepped outside and reached inside her fridge for a beer. Church rested one hand on his left hip and complained. "Really, beer first thing in the morning?"

"I need something to wake me up."

"Then drink coffee."

"It's too boring, and doesn't have the kick that beer does."

"I really worry for your health sis," he shook his head and threw up his arms in defeat. "If Wash was here, I'm sure you would be listening to what he would say."

"Only if it made sense," she cracked open the can. "And if I felt like listening to it."

She chugged down half the can and instantly it revved her mind into high gear waking her up. _To join or not to join, that is the question_. She sat down on the couch and turned to face the balcony. _If I was to do this alone, then I certainly won't have the resources that joining him would grant me as he said. However trusting him after all that he has done is also bit of a stretch_. "Church, would you join him if it were you in my place?"

"It may surprise you to hear this, but I would just go ahead and join them."

It did indeed surprise her, to the point it left her speechless. "A minute ago you sounded distrusting of that assassin. You even went as far as to make it sound that you would use them. But now you say you would join them?"

"What that assassin guy said may be true," Church conceded as he brought up a holographic screen projecting various data. Carolina leaned in close to see a set of government security groups and organizations. Church pointed to one that was titled 'Anti-Terrorists Suppression Group' or ATSG for short. But unlike the other entries, Church was unable to procure any further data on the group. It seems it was being protected under the highest security level. "When you were talking to him in the church, I took the opportunity to transfer into his mobile communication device. I bet he didn't foresee that move. Who is awesome? Me. I managed to get some info out of it basing a relationship between him and the American government."

Carolina stroked her chin and leaned back. She chugged the rest of her beer and threw the can into the nearby garbage can. "But basing our decision on this information alone seems too risky."

"Then think of it as taking a leap of faith."

"A massive leap," Carolina corrected him with an exaggerated expression. She shook her head in disapproval. "If this data is incorrect, we would be putting ourselves in a lot of risk. I don't know if I'm so keen on the idea of making more enemies than we can handle."

"It doesn't hurt to go there and meet him," Church persisted with his stance on the choice. "The worst that can happen is you have to beat him up before you are allowed to turn around and leave. Just go there to hear him out."

She breathed out heavily and finally nodded her head. "Fine, we will go there tonight. But you better be ready in case we end up getting into a scuffle up there."

"Yes mam," Church answered now anxiously awaiting nightfall.

* * *

Later that night, the assassin waited anxiously. He saw the blinking light on his gauntlet's device and activated a holographic monitor. Siris was online. "So you are going through with this."

"Of course," the assassin pointed towards the screen. "I said I would, I am a man of my word."

"Just keep your head about you, and be careful."

"I didn't know you cared so much Siris."

Siris smirked to himself and nodded his head. "It comes with the territory of spending your days with the same people all the time."

The assassin cut off the communication as he was then contacted by his long time field partner and friend. She lied on the building opposite to him. She was well under the cover of night thanks to her black armor. The only thing left revealing was her light blond hair that lit under the moonlight. Her body felt the chill of the snow through her armor. Her yellow irises scanned the opposite building's rooftop through the scope of her sniper rifle. "Are you sure going for such theatrics was a good idea?"

"Don't you get on my case to Chloe," he annoyingly answered as he activated his invisibility cloak and sat still. "Just trust me, she will come."

"What makes you say that?"

"Intuition."

"Intuition doesn't save lives or guarantee victory on the battlefield, its careful planning and execution that does."

The man had no witty retort. He simply remained quiet. In all the years he had known her, she had always managed to best him. Perhaps she understood him better than anyone else, even better than Siris. Chloe focused on a strange shadow moving towards the assassin's building. It was a UNSC armored soldier in Cyan colors. From the outline of the armor it was a she. "There you are Carolina."

* * *

She contacted the assassin on the radio. "The bird is in the nest."

"Told you she would come," he stood up and waited for her to land. As Carolina reached her destination, she looked around awaiting the assassin's appearance. _Where is he?_ And out of the blue he appeared. She noticed the light diffusion caused by the invisibility cloak. _No wonder I could never catch you_.

"Told you I would outrun you everytime," he winked her way with his clear blue eyes. "Hello there, so has Ms. UNSC come to a decision yet?"

"I'll do it. I will join you and the rest of your group. I maybe wrong, but your group is the Anti-Terrorist Suppression Group, right?"

"I see someone has been doing their homework," he replied as he let down his hood. The small pony tail on his dirty blond hair swayed with the nightly wind. "Nice to make your acquaintance, call me Ken."

"So we are playing the buddy game now after what happened at the church?"

He rubbed the back of his head apologetically and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry about that, I had our interests to look out for. I can't afford to let others see our identity in situations we can help it."

"I suppose this is better than having a blade trained on your back," Carolina looked across the rooftops at Church's prompt and noticed an extra heat signature. "Is she with you?"

He shook his head in Chloe's way and motioned for her to rendezvous. "The gigs up Chloe, come on out. Plus I think we have what we came here for."

Chloe stood up with an aloof smile. _Don't know how you do it, but every damn time you deliver on your promises_. She jumped across the rooftops with her jets and landed between the two. Ken motioned for them to follow. "Let's go."

"Where to?" Carolina inquired.

"To your new home, and allies," Ken jumped the rooftops leading the group. Chloe looked back and offered up a welcoming smile. "Welcome to the ATSG."

* * *

 **A/N: Strap in readers for the pacing is about to take off the ground now.**

 **What do you think will happen next?**

 **What do you think about Carolina joining the ATSG?**

 **Thanks for taking the time to read, I appreciate your readership!**

 **Constructive feedback is always appreciated :).**

 **~ Monty**


	5. Soldier Once More

**Chapter 4: Soldier Once More**

On the outskirts, three figures crossed the invisible borderline that marked the entrance and exit to the city. Carolina landed behind Chloe and Ken and asked. "How much further must we go?"

"Hold your horses," Ken mused as he dug through the snow, and brushed some aside. Carolina peeked over his shoulder to find a metal gate on the ground. _An underground base, I can see that helping with protection from surveillance_. She noticed him entering a pass code, executing an eye scan and a hand scan. _Talk about security_. She heard the door click open. Chloe rose up the large metal door and held it up. Ken went first and motioned for Carolina to follow. "Welcome to home sweet home."

"This is where you guys live?" Church suddenly popped up surprising the other two. Carolina quickly diffused the situation before they took any actions against him. "This is Church, my A.I. partner."

Ken was quick on the uptake. "So that's how you knew about us. Let me guess, he got in my device to extract the information during one of our encounters before?"

"You are quite perceptive," Carolina complimented as Church shrugged his shoulders. "It's not my fault your gauntlet's computer has such shoddy security."

"I'll be sure to take up that point with our technician," Ken joked with a smirk as he led the way into the main operations room. Siris sat in the shadows watching the figures enter one by one. Ken looked around with a displeased look. _He better not be playing another one of his tricks. It would really be tiresome if he were to scare her away_. Ken could not help but chuckle at the thought. _It's kind of like a protective parent scaring away a girlfriend that their son brought home_. Chloe put on her thermal vision goggles and quickly detected an additional heat signature. She crossed her arms and grinned as she watched him slowly move in the shadows.

Siris jumped Ken from the behind, but Ken was fast enough to dodge around the man and kick him down to the ground. Ken stood over Siris with a raised fist. "Yield."

"I see that my teachings have not gone to waste."

"Everytime Siris," he helped the man up. "Everytime I come back you do that. I think it would be obvious that I have come to expect it now."

"Shall I vary it up then?"

"It would certainly add some variety," Ken signaled towards Carolina. "Here she is, in the armor, the lady of the hour."

Siris stretched out a hand and shook her hand. "Welcome to the 'Anti-Terrorist Suppression Group' Agent Carolina. We have heard quite a lot about you. We are glad to have your skill sets onboard."

"Hey, let's not forget me," Church popped out again raising an arm. He looked around expecting a grand welcome. Ken shook his shoulders. "Sorry, we don't exactly have a red carpet to roll out."

"Oh very funny," Church sarcastically conceded with the shake of his head. Siris found the exchange amusing. "We are of course happy to have you onboard as well Epsilon."

"I see you have done your research into Project Freelancer," Carolina spoke while pointing to an active tablet with the project details. Siris retrieved the electronic device. "Of course, we needed to know what and who we were getting. You can't hope to go in blind into a situation now can you? Intelligence is the most vital commodity in today's world Agent."

"So what do you guys exactly do here?" she inquired walking around the room and studying the various devices and reports on desks. Siris went towards the main computer and brought up a wall of text. "If you will direct your attention to the monitor, I believe this will explain things quite clearly."

Carolina browsed over the text and nodded her head. "So you stop terrorism, I am pretty sure that much was clear from the name. But why is it that your group is protected under the highest level of security in the government databases?"

"If people knew about us, they would expect disclosure," Chloe answered as Ken then said. "That would mean losing our element of surprise."

"And being able to operate covertly," Siris added as he showed Carolina a report. "See the details in there? That report is from when a public security agency tried to take down 'Cradle of Hope', the terrorist organization we are currently focused on. It seems the public didn't take too kindly to their methods and called for the agency to be shut down. We use very similar methods. If people knew about it, there would be proponent voices calling for our shutdown as well. We can't afford to let that happen, not when the terrorist threat grows every day and the people are unwilling to change their thinking. Even if we have to do things that violate people's privacy, we will do it for the greater good."

She acknowledged his words. "Is that the reason why you all live down here, out of the public eye?"

"Bingo dango!" Ken pointed towards her congratulating her on the correct answer. Siris cleared his throat and interjected. "But we should get a move on. We don't have enough time to be idling about."

"When do we ever?" Chloe complained as she left the group for her rifle's maintenance. Siris motioned towards the various rooms and explained their purpose. He also gave a quick tour of the facility. Ken closely observed their new soldier. _Here is hoping that this bet I took on you will pay off. Maybe with you here, I may even find her_.

* * *

"Any questions on the facilities?" Siris turned around stopping the two. Carolina shook her head. But before they continued, a curious question popped up into Siris' head. "I know you went to Chorus. I had heard that Felix and Locus were there as well. Would you know what happened to them?"

Carolina was stunned to hear their names coming out of Siris' mouth. "You knew them?"

He nodded noting of their partnership in the past. "We made a dysfunctional, but a good team. Ultimately we had to go our separate ways in life because of my various commitments. So, what happened to them?"

"They are both…dead."

Siris' eyes widened in minor surprise. "Even Locus?"

"Yes," she replied in a mumble. He looked to the side still in surprise. "I knew Felix would kick the bucket someday considering how he dealt with business. But I never thought that the same would happen to Locus. Did he die still helping Felix?"

"No," Carolina looked down at the ground as memories of Elsie and Edwards surged in her mind. "He died helping us against a very dangerous and powerful threat."

"I'm glad he chose the path of redemption," Siris smiled reassuringly. He was still saddened by the news though. "I wish there was more I could have done to offset them from the destructive path they took for so many years."

* * *

He shook his head and led the group towards the main operational room. _I guess it will just be another regret to chalk up_. Carolina followed closely behind him. "So what happens now?"

He stopped at the large circular holographic device and brought up some interesting data. "Now, we are planning a raid on a server farm. According to some very promising sources, we have received intel that this particular server farm building holds data that could help tip things into our yard."

"In other words, we get a leg up on them," Ken said as he leaned close to the hologram. "What sort of data are we talking about?"

"We will know once we retrieve it."

"Do we have a schematic of the building?" Carolina inquired eager to see where this mission goes. Siris bobbed his head and with the press of a button the building's architecture was visible. There was already a clear route marked on the hologram for the team to follow. "You will be taking a small team to hack into the servers and get the data we need. Ken, you will be leading the mission."

"I want in on this as well," Carolina bumped her fists hungry for action, and finally being able to make the change she desired.

"Of course, I had planned to make you a core member of the team."

Ken suddenly pulled his old mentor aside and asked. "Are you sure making her a core member right from the get go is a good idea?"

"You don't trust her?"

"It's not that. She hasn't exactly been a part of the action for a long time."

"According to your reports, she seemed to hold up just fine whenever you encountered her."

"'Just fine' was me being nice. I don't want her to screw this up for us," Ken insisted as he eyed her. Siris patted his younger colleague on the shoulders and beamed with reassurance. "She will be just fine, and so will this mission. Just remember, this mission is for the sake of ATSG, it's not just a matter of finding _her_."

"I know, you don't need to keep on reminding me."

Siris went back to the table and handed a portable USB to Carolina. He also handed her another electronic. "Take it, it's our latest model. It will be able to show you what's on the USB and act as a communication device between the main base and you. Keep it handy at all times, this is how we will communicate when you are out in the field."

Ken took one USB himself and plugged it up to his device. He studied the strategy and found it acceptable. He left to go prepare the necessary equipment as well as give the plan to the other members of the team. Carolina complimented Siris on the rather good plan that left no loop holes to be exploited as long as everyone did their jobs. Siris however displayed some concern on his part. "I know you are a part of the UNSC. What did you tell them, did you quit?"

"No, I'm still with them," she answered honestly, but gave assurance that she never told them any specifics. "They only have a general idea of what is going on. After all, we have to protect our interests."

"That we do," Siris laughed at how quick she was to adapt to their thinking and let her go to rest for the night. He looked at the computer and began to input her data into their organization's database. _I'm counting on you to get this done Ken_.


	6. Mission Start

**Chapter 5: Mission Start**

"Come in leader," a soldier in black armor positioned himself with a sniper rifle atop a rooftop. "I'm in position."

"Same here."

"Same here."

Several other confirmations came in as Ken reloaded his pistol. "Understood, maintain your positions until further orders."

Chloe looked at Carolina who was eager to get to the mission location. "This will be one heck of a welcoming party for you won't it?"

"I'll say," Carolina smirked under her helmet. She held onto her rifle tightly displaying a sense of anxiety. Ken directed Chloe to make a soft turn at the next intersection and said. "Just remember Carolina, worst comes to worst we turn tails and run. No point in losing our heads over this mission."

"I never run from a job."

"Well now you are a part of ATSG, so now you will have to," he corrected and motioned towards the nearby parking garage of the mission building. "You may not like it, but this is how we do things. Either succeed in the mission or get out before casualties take place."

"But that's not how actual battles are fought."

"We are a covert agency, not a war army. Keep that in mind for the next time you say something without thinking it through."

Chloe came to a stop and her two occupants exited the vehicle. "I'll go get in position inside the building. Let me know when you are ready for pickup."

* * *

"We won't make you wait too long," Ken waved as he ran ahead of Carolina. She followed closely and noticed him scoping out the entrance to the building. He looked at Carolina and motioned towards a back entrance. "You take that, in your armor you will stand out too much."

He activated the hologram projector on his gauntlet and pointed at a particular floor. "We will meet up here. Don't dally."

"Roger," she ran ahead of him. He studied his hidden blades and ensured that they were working properly. _Good, let's do this_. He hid his arms beneath his trench coat and entered the building. "Alright snipers, I need you to be my eyes."

"The floor you want to get to is heavily guarded. You may want to take them all out quietly to make things easier for your escape," one of the snipers from across the building spoke with uncertainty in their voice. Ken chuckled and replied. "Have some faith in your leader. We can do this without killing anyone. Get in quietly, get the data and get out."

Ken took the elevator all the way up to the level below the server farms. He stepped out onto the mostly deserted floor and activated his invisibility cloak when in the blind spot of a security camera. "Come in T9, are you in position?"

"T9 here," a man of average stature answered as he hooked up a wireless hack device that fed information directly to his armor's computer. "I have started the hacking procedure. The cameras will be down by the time you reach the target floor."

"Heh, want to make a bet out of it to see who is faster?"

"I'm going to have to take a rain check on that."

"You are no fun," Ken moved through the hallways carefully and precisely avoiding any who stood in his way. Carolina climbed the stairs to finally reach the mission floor. "Church, how many people?"

"According to your thermal scanners, about twenty. Whatever they are protecting must be really important."

"That's why we are here," Carolina whispered as she opened the door a crack and peeked inside. They were all spread out and adequately armed. Their armor seemed penetrable and from the way they carried themselves, they seemed to be average security guards at best. She closed the door at the sudden appearance of a guard in her sight. She watched him pass by via her thermal vision and gently open the door creating a passage for her. She walked inside and stealthily manoeuvred around the enemy. "Church, where is the server room?"

He brought up the floor layout on her visor and marked it on her map. She moved back and forth from the shadows A few close run ins nearly compromised the mission, however she was quick to activate the camouflage unit and blend in with the background. She looked around the room nearing the servers. _Where is he?_

* * *

Ken looked up at the wall that blocked his progress. He stared up at the vent and rubbed his chin. _I think I just found a way of skipping all these idiots_. He silently rolled a chair over to the location of the vent and unscrewed the vent with his trusty multi-tool apparatus. He gently set the vent down onto the floor and hopped inside. _By the time any of you realize something is amiss, I will be long gone suckers_. He trudged through the claustrophobic tube with one arm in front of the other.

He climbed up to the next level and observed the various patrols from the vent. _Look at the circus we got up here_. He waited for one of the guards to walk past. He eyed the cameras and noticed that the red blinking lights were inactive. _It's a good thing he didn't take that bet_. When they were at a fair distance, he started applying gentle pressure on the vent's sides. The screws were no problem. He gently pushed out the vent and slid it to the side. As soon as his body was outside, he placed it back into position to still maintain a certain element of normality in the environment. Ken looked around and decided to stick to the shadows which allowed him to easily walk past everyone into the server room.

She was there waiting for his arrival in the back of the server room where the host computer resided. He appeared out of thin air, and yet again the surprise has not lost its effect on her. "Who was it that said not to dally?"

"Yeah I get it, you are the best, blah, blah," he hooked up a wireless transmitter to the host computer panel and started the hacking program. "Keep an eye out."

* * *

In the main security office of the building, several guards scrambled about near the monitors simply displaying static. They were doing their utmost best to bring up the picture once again, but nothing proved to be a success. One of the men got on the radio and contacted their higher up. "Sir, it seems we have a problem with the cameras on the server floor. There doesn't seem to be damaged hardware of any sort from our readings here. But the transmitter is facing issues from the mother control room."

A deep, hoarse and imposing voice answered. The large man who seemed to exude fear and earn respect from his subordinates just from the sound of his voice decided to take two of his men with him to the mother control room and study the situation. His thick armor plating crashed and clanged against one another with every heavy step he took. As everyone noticed the three armored men, they made way for them without hesitation. All of them kept their head down if they knew what was good for them. The leader of the group motioned to the direction of the mother control room's door. His two subordinates setup positions on both sides of the door with their guns drawn. The leader activated his thermal vision and noticed one active life sign. The rest were sleeping soundly.

He slowly opened the door and rushed inside. T9 turned behind, but before he could react, he was taken into a tight hold by his neck. A hold so tight that it crushed the muscles and blocked the desperate passage of air, and eventually his neck finally cracked. The leader of the group stared at the device attached to the controls and crushed it with his hands. "Annoying cheap toys…"

"General Creed, we have confirmation of people in the server room. It seems that they are trying to steal our data."

* * *

Creed looked to his right and flipped a switch. The building wide alarm triggered and everyone from the ATSG jumped in mighty surprise. Carolina looked around in a panic as Church did his best to get a good grip on the situation. Ken looked back at the cameras. The red lights were blinking once more. _Shit, what the hell?_

"We have to go," Carolina whispered as she saw the guards converge near the server room. Ken looked back at the monitor. The program was nearly complete in its transfer. "Hold them off."

"What?!" both Church and Carolina barked in unison. Ken motioned towards the approaching enemy. "We don't have time to argue this. The data transfer is almost complete. Just buy me a couple of minutes here."

"You are one crazy motherfucker," Church exclaimed as Carolina drew her weapon and got in position. The guards entered in pairs inside of the server room with their knives drawn. "Remember, no one fires a shot here. Anyone that does can look forward to explaining their actions to General Creed. I imagine that would be a fun time."

 _That gives us a leg up_. Carolina waited for two of them to come around the corner before she jumped them. She quickly disarmed the two and punched them unconscious.

"What was that?!" two others began their approach. She found the perfect spot to mount her assault. Ken retrieved the device and safely stored it in his armor's belt safe storage. Carolina jumped the two other guards. She twisted their arms and disarmed them. She bumped their heads together and left them cold on the floor. "Hands up where we can see them!"

Carolina hid behind a server tower and stared in Ken's direction. The gig was up. He was caught in a risky situation. _So much for being able to run away_. She began to lessen the distance from Ken's position to hers.

"Tell your partner to come out as well and they better not try anything funny."

 _Shit_ , Carolina stood up with her arms up in the air and slowly walked out.

"Nice of you to join us, you with him?"

"What if I am?"

One of the men held Ken down and rested the sharp side against Ken's neck. The other one rushed for Carolina, but lost balance midway. The side of his head burst open as splashes of blood and brain painted the floor. The one holding Ken last felt the sharp, but momentary sting of a bullet entering the back of his skull and piercing out from his left eye socket. He quickly went numb and fell to the ground like a lifeless doll. Both Carolina and Ken looked in the direction of the bullet's origination. Chloe hailed the two on the radio. "You two owe me one."

"I'll treat you to a nice dinner and we will call it even," Ken joked as he rushed out from the server room alongside Carolina pushing past the other guards. The elevator on the floor dinged and the doors opened revealing their fears. An armed group of fifteen more men rushed out. Carolina and Ken kicked and pushed past many to jump into the elevator.

"After them, go, go, go!"

* * *

"What's happening in there Ken?" one of the snipers asked. "What are our orders?"

"Get out of there. Collect the others and leave. We will find our own way out."

"Are you sure? I'm seeing three armed men headed for your position."

"Do it!" Ken rushed out of the elevator and noticed the stairwell doors burst open. "We will find our own way out."

Chloe quickly met up with the two just as they were cornered. She pulled them into the shadows of an easily avoidable part of the building. She leaned in close to the two catching her breath, panic painted shades of red as her veins showed in her eyes. "What do we do now?"

"Calm down for starters," Carolina rested a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Panic won't help us."

"She is right. Chloe," Ken looked out from their spot at the spread out patrol pattern. "Time to go play tag."

Chloe got the message. She gently pushed past Carolina and readied her rifle. Without warning she took out three of them with ease. "Hey assholes, catch me if you can!"

* * *

The chase began, everyone was after her. _You may have numbers but I have speed_. She rushed down the stairs, jumped over the bars and gave her comrades the clear window for escape. Chloe pushed past the many civilians on the ground floor as she pushed open the doors to the cold streets. The enemy guards kept up the chase, which forced her to become more creative in her escape. Eventually she started leading them down a narrow alley network. She managed to lose a good chunk of them in there. The leftover now fed up with this game of tag took out their rifles and opened fire. "Jeez, is that anyway to be a good sport about losing a fair game of tag?"

She readied her rifle and as soon as they were in her line of sight, they were down in a matter of seconds. Chloe stood up with a smirk and contacted Ken. "Looks like I won that game. So what will be my reward?"

* * *

"You are really trying to wring my wallet dry here aren't you?" he rushed through the stairwell until he noticed a group of three armored men. Carolina dragged him onto the floor nearest to them. It was a normal office building floor filled with several cubicles. The three men entered and opened fire at them. Carolina quickly acted to shoot the weapons out of their hands. Ken drew his pistol and shot two of them in the knees. Creed looked at his subordinates and glared at Ken. "You won't escape boy. I know you have the data."

Carolina stood between the two of them and cracked her knuckles. "Then how about a little spar match first?"

"That bloke in the mother control room, I imagine you will be missing him quite a bit," he cracked his neck, pointed a grip towards Carolina's neck and clenched his hands. "I'll be breaking your neck as well girl."

* * *

 **A/N: So, how's that for kicking the pacing off the ground? :P**

 **Expect more of things like this in this fanfic, but at the same time some down moments for the sake of story and character development, as well as a breather. So what did you think about the start to that heist gone wrong?**

 **Constructive feedback is appreciated.**

 **Thank you for your readership, I appreciate the support!**

 **~ Monty**


	7. Fight to Escape

**Chapter 6: Fight to Escape**

Two adversaries stood faced against one another. They both stretched their necks that echoed a satisfying crack, and raised their fists to eye level. They stood in their respective sides, staring and simply waiting. Ken watched the two as they began walking in circles. The silent game of patience was beginning to intensify as they both feinted various moves in an attempt to goad their opponent. Ken reached for his comm. in his ear and contacted Chloe subtly. "I need you to go get the car ready."

"What about you two?"

"We will be there. Just get the car ready."

"Alright," she now sounded concerned. "Just don't do anything crazy."

"I can't make any promises," Ken replied with a grin as he noticed Carolina throwing the first punch. The General backed away, took her attacking arm in a tight grip and pushed her off balance. She quickly recovered with the help of her jets and boosted up towards Creed's helmet. She kneed him in the visor and caused him to stumble backwards. His head spun round and round.

Carolina sweep kicked him, but his legs stood strong like concrete pillars. He bent down and grabbed hold of her by her waist. He raised her high and flung her hard against the floor. Ken rushed in for support but was interrupted by the General's subordinates. They held tightly onto his legs and each reached for their knives. Ken shook his head and extended his arm blades. "You guys ought to learn when to quit."

Before the subordinates' knives could even come within breathing room, Ken deflected their weapons and stabbed them clean in the throats. _Sweet dreams_. He shook off their grip and held Creed from the behind. Carolina rushed in with her jets and punched his helmet's visor. She landed several hard and relentless blows on his helmet, and with each blow she felt her confidence wavering. The man made no grunts or noises in response to the punches. He was as hard as iron. He clearly demonstrated his superiority in strength and to some extent tactical wit. Her final punch landed a hard crack on his visor finally earning her a grunt.

Creed stopped Carolina in her movements and twisted her arms backwards. She rested her feet on him and swung her whole body back freeing her arms of the restrictive muscle bind. Creed's grip however persisted. Ken extended his blades and as the tips heated up, he pieced through the armor. But it was clearly not deep enough as the man stood without pain. He threw Carolina back onto the ground and picked up Ken from the back of his collar. "I hate gimmicky toys like that."

He slammed Ken down onto the ground. Everyone could hear an audible crack from Ken's now frail body. Painful moans escaped his desperate figure. Ken started to drag himself away from Creed who followed. "I said I would kill you boy, anything to say before you take your final breath?"

"Yeah," Ken threw down a flash bang grenade and looked away. "Fuck you!"

Bang!

The flash of light blinded both Carolina and Creed. Carolina opened her eyes, her vision was disorientating and her body was unable to completely cooperate from her recent beating. Creed took off his helmet and threw it away in anger. He growled in Ken's direction as he stumbled in his general area with his arms outstretched to feel his environment. Ken took the opportunity to sneak up behind Creed and jump the man. He extended the blade on his right arm and aimed for the neck. But before he could act any further, Creed took Ken by his hood and flung him to the side of the room.

Carolina's eyes finally stabilized. She rushed for Creed and with the help of her speed boost she landed several blows on him, but at the same time managed a tactical retreat and pattern of movements to confuse him. Unfortunately the confusion tactic did not work as she had hoped it would. He took her right arm and threw her over his shoulder. He planted a firm foot on her chest and pulled on her arm to the point she could no longer hold back her scream. Church scrambled to work out a way of getting out of this situation. But all of his efforts were wasted as Creed promptly dislocated her arm from her body. She breathed heavily as her body shivered in the pain and her mind felt as if a thousand needles had pierced it.

Ken noticed the injury she sustained. He slowly got up and threw a small knife towards Creed that simply bounced off of his armor. Creed did nothing but look at the small object and laugh. He slowly approached Ken preparing his hand to deliver the killing blow. Ken panicked in his moment of weakness as he helplessly looked around for an escape from his corner.

"Get up sis," Church implored as he appeared beside her. "I'm running your healing unit. Come on, we need to find a way for all of us to get out of here right now!"

"No, divert that power to the speed booster."

"What?! I don't know how much more pain your body will be able to handle if I don't administer constant medical treatment."

"I can take it!" she yelled and slowly stood up. "I would know my own body the best. Now divert the power, I have a plan."

"Diverting power," he hesitantly submitted. She reached for the knife Ken threw earlier and charged herself at Creed. He felt no effects of her tackle, but was quickly brought down to the ground by the additional force of her jets and speed boost upon the second tackle. Carolina raised the knife and thrusted it forwards towards his face. But he blocked the blow and held her by her neck. In their struggle she managed to slash his right eye, forever stealing the light from it. Creed agonized in pain as a loud roar filled the floor and sent the fear one may feel facing an angered lion. Carolina quickly snapped Ken out of his panic and motioned towards the exit. Church started the healing unit and watched as they left Creed squirming in pain.

* * *

"Was it smart to not finish the job?" Church questioned as the two made their way down the stairs. Carolina was in no condition to chat. Ken looked at the two of them and shook his head. "No it wasn't, but we aren't exactly sitting pretty here either."

Several troopers advanced up the stairwell. Ken diverted their group towards the nearest floor and noticed a scaffolding left from the ongoing patchwork on a damaged window. Ken held out his gun and shot three bullets through the window. _I'm sure this is going to piss off some handyman somewhere_. He put down Carolina and motioned for the window. "Don't go anywhere, I will be back."

"Oh yea, I thought we would just get up and go for a stroll you know," Church sarcastically remarked as Ken burst through the weakened window. He looked back towards the exit door. Their pursuers still had yet to catch up to them. "Chloe, bring up the car on the west side of the building."

She drove out of the garage and followed his instructions clearly. She looked up and breathed out a sigh of irritation. "What was that about not doing anything crazy?"

"Hey, I never made any promises. Anyways, I need you to park exactly to the side of the scaffold. We are going to be making in a hard landing."

"Landing?"

Ken rushed inside and checked his partner's condition. "Speak to me Church."

"I have managed to stop her pain from getting any worse for now, but she needs medical treatment."

"Can she do this?" he asked pointing back to the scaffold. Church looked at Carolina and then back outside. "Knowing her, you probably can't stop her either way."

"Good to hear," he helped Carolina up and looked downwards at their ride. "Alright Carolina, time to show off what you can do."

"My pleasure," she did her best to maintain a light tone amidst her increasing perspiration. Both Ken and she jumped out just as the doors to the stairs burst open and soldiers came in firing their guns. The two activated their jets throughout the fall in intervals to lessen the gravitational pull and after effects. Chloe's eyes widened as she noticed their trajectory. _If he gets out of this alive, then I am so going to make him owe me big time_. She backed up the car a little, and then forwards to maintain perfect entry point.

* * *

They landed wholly into the seats of the vehicle. Carolina let out an agitated moan as her dislocated shoulder and arm hit the leather seat. Chloe looked back at her and stared at Ken for an explanation. The soldiers from up above continued to fire. Ken hurriedly motioned ahead of them. "I will give you full run down later, for now just drive!"

"How about telling me while we go back?" she asked making a sharp turn, but doing her best to be mindful of Carolina's injury. Ken noticed three vehicles tailing them from the rear view mirror. "This might not be a good time after all."

The two looked back to see armed warthogs stepping up their speed and catching up to them. Ken drew his pistol and opened fire as the machine gunners turned to face them.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Church exclaimed as he slumped his shoulders. "Do they have nothing better to do than to treat their hard-on for their data?"

"Wouldn't be an ATSG mission if we didn't get into a scuffle every once in a while now would it?" Ken asked having a wail of a time. Chloe giggled and agreed as she increased her speed. "No it wouldn't."

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Creed, his first major appearance he already lost an eye :P. Also, since it has been a long while since I have written an action scene (there was a gap between writing Season 17 and 18), I was curious to know what you all thought about it.**

 **Also, you might have to expect the fights to get more brutal and possibly even gory as indicated by the last chapter when Chloe shot that guy through the head and eye socket. What are your thoughts on this chapter and fanfic so far?**

 **Constructive feedback is appreciated!**

 **Thank you for your readership, I appreciate the support! :)**

 **~ Monty**


	8. Chase

**Chapter 7: Chase**

Several cars sped through the snow filled streets occupied in an intense chase. Ken's car at the very front steered around the rest of the traffic. Chloe looked in the rear view mirror. Their enemies were still hot on their tail. She took the ramp that led to a highway bridge in the hopes of throwing them off their path. They followed after. The machine gunners on the enemy vehicles sprayed a stream of golden bullets, all narrowly avoiding their car. They were warning shots. But the warning was clearly not intimidating enough for Chloe to lose her confidence.

Ken stuck out his pistol from the window and opened fire. He managed to damage one of the car's tires. That enemy car initially waivered, but the driver proved to be skillful enough to bring it back on course. Panic broke out on the roads upon seeing the constant stream of bullets. Ken jolted back and forth as he looked back at Chloe. "Watch for the ice!"

"I know, my bad!"

"Hey guys," Church pixilated as he projected a terrain map. "I think we may have a way out."

"I'm all ears!" Chloe narrowly dodged a car to their left side. He pushed the map towards her and highlighted the recommended route. "If we can get to the lower fifth tunnel, we may have a chance at getting out of this. But the challenge will be to get rid of these assholes before reaching the tunnel."

"That's one hell of a challenge bud," Ken noted as he ducked inside from the barrage of machine gun fire. Chloe took the exit ramp. The sudden turn caused an uncomfortable grunt to echo from Carolina's helmet. Chloe looked back at their comrade with worry prevalent in her voice. "Sorry, how are you holding up back there?"

"She need medical attention fast," Church answered as he studied her fading consciousness. There was a clear sound of irritation from Ken. "Great, so no pressure then. Chloe, step on it!"

He managed to shoot a well placed shot at the gunner of a nearby enemy car. The second shot hit the driver dead in the head. The enemy car went steering to the side against the metal railings. The ATSG jeep merged with the rest of the traffic. The two remaining enemy vehicles kept up their chase. Ken reached back towards Carolina and yanked her rifle. _In times like these, one must not be afraid to bring out the bigger guns_. He reloaded the rifle with a full clip and took aim. Chloe eyed the GPS directions from the side of her eyes and took the next right turn. Chloe noticed the fast approach of one of the enemy vehicles. Ahead of them were barrels filled with water on the dividing road. "Hang on, I got a plan!"

She lined up their jeep and the enemy followed directly behind. The distance between the barrels and the jeep lessened. Ken began to worry when he saw the intense concentration in Chloe's stare in the direction of the barrels. As the machine gunner opened fire, Ken stuck the rifle out and made several punctures into the gunner's body. Suddenly Chloe turned the wheel moments before impact! The warthog behind them collided with the water barrels and came to an uncomfortable stop.

"Wow, that actually worked," she remarked with an unnerving sense of uncertainty in her voice. Ken looked at her with a lack of confidence and shook his head. "You weren't even sure if that would work?"

"What can I say? Sometimes you just gotta improvise."

"Too much improvisation is bad for you," Church noted backing Ken up. But the three didn't have the time to argue. The third and final enemy warthog chased them very aggressively as they neared the tunnel. Church appeared beside Ken. "You gotta do something about them now!"

Ken took out a few small octagonal chips from the compartment. He clicked one side and a red bright light glowed in the center. Ken looked back at their assailants and threw down the chips on the road. Church noticed that as soon as the warthog was in proximity, the chips exploded causing small explosions. Not enough to destroy the vehicle, but enough to temporarily disorientate the driver. But as long as the gunner remained, their efforts would prove to be useless. A few of the bullets managed to hit the trunk of the ATSG jeep. Ken partially stood up and rested the rifle against the head rest of his seat. He looked through the scope and placed a clean shot through the gunner's head.

The driver of the warthog recovered and slammed the gas paddle. The enemy vehicle pulled up to the ATSG jeep and rammed them to the side! Ken jolted back nearly onto Chloe and let out a loud swear. He took aim and fired upon the driver, managing to paint the driver as well as the seat beside him in crimson red. The warthog lost control. It again rammed into the side of the jeep causing Chloe to struggle. Their jeep was now stuck between the warthog and the side railings. Their turn off was fast approaching. Ken stuck his head out and shot the enemy tires. The warthog quickly lost speed and flipped over from one of the pressure pipes bursting.

Chloe curved the jeep to the right to fit the underpass. The warthog collided with their jeep! The cars went out of control. Chloe struggled with the controls as she swerved from left to right. Both cars crashed onto the side of the tunnel!

* * *

…Ken's mind felt heavy as did his body. His vision was blurry as if someone had put a dilating eye liquid in there. He grasped his forehead resting against the front boxed compartment storage. He arched upwards only to feel the sudden sting of a muscle pulling. _Ow, swell_. Ken's vision slowly started to clear up with the soothing rub of his fingers. He eyed the others in the car. They were all silent. He reached out for Chloe whose head rested against the steering wheel. "Hey Chloe…"

She didn't answer. He spoke a little louder. "Wake up Chloe."

No answer. His eyes widened with worry now. "Chloe, this isn't funny. Don't you dare pull this stunt on me!"

Finally he heard a few moans escape her. He leaned back in thanking the jeep for its protective nature of its occupants. He looked back at Carolina. She showed no response or signs of life. "Talk to me Church, how is she?"

"Knocked out," his image buzzed with static as the holographic module in her suit had taken quite a bit of the impact. "But at least it will make it easier to administer the morphine now."

Ken checked the data disk and breathed out another sigh of relief. "That data is safe to."

In the distance they could hear the cries of sirens fast approaching their direction. He tapped Chloe on the shoulders. "We have to go. We can't let the authorities catch us nor let our faces be seen by them."

She drowsily nodded her head and started up the car again. By some luck the engine still worked. As the sirens neared, the group had managed to make their escape and drive back to the city's edge. She looked back at Church who was worriedly staring at Carolina. "Don't worry, once we get to home base then we will take good care of her."

They pulled up to the base's entrance. Ken rushed to open the door as Chloe helped Carolina down below. Everyone else was anxiously awaiting their return in the main room. Siris' was happy to see their safe return, but concerned for the condition Carolina came back in. He crossed his arms expecting an explanation. Ken took out the data file, handed it to his mentor and patted his shoulder. "Long story, we will go over it some other time."

Chloe handed Carolina off to a few of the medically trained personnel and agreed. "How about letting us catch our breaths first? It was hell out there."

"Alright," Siris looked at the time. "Ken, I want a report on what happened by the end of today. We need to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

"Yeah I know," Ken waved back as he left the room alongside the rest of the crew. Siris sat down at the computer and inserted the data disk. The decryption program booted up. Siris rested the edge of his nose against his hands and let out a heavy sigh. _Here is hoping that this was worth it_.

* * *

 **A/N: Not a very long chapter this time around. Recently I had gone into hermit mode for an important exam. The exam is finished, but I suppose my mind is still somewhat in post-examination mode. Meaning updates may not be as frequent as proven by the time frame between this chapter and the previous one. Of course this is just me rambling like a mad man if you are reading this in the future and the story has been completed. :P**

 **Other than that, look forward to more story revelations. Brace yourselves, for there is plot to come in the next few chapters. ;)**

 **Constructive feedback is appreciated!**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read. Your support and readership is appreciated!**

 **~ Monty**


	9. Quietude

**Chapter 8: Quietude**

The bunker was quiet. There was a certain calmness that filled Carolina's heart with a sense of security and ease. In her newly assigned room, she sat in front of a dimly lit monitor with a blanket wrapped around her frame. Thanks to the efforts of her newly found comrades, she was able to move some of her things into the bunker as this was to be her new home now. Although much to her annoyance, she was unable to bring any of the beer she had stored in her fridge. Church on the other hand saw this as an opportunity to finally help Carolina's drinking addiction. She rubbed her chest to create friction and heat between her skin and clothes. The damp coldness of the bunker was a surprising touch she had not anticipated, especially more so during the winter time.

She eyed the loading circle on the monitor and exhaled a slightly cold breath. She applied pressure to her recently fixed arm. It seemed though that the body will require more time to heal other than just simple medical procedures. The loading bar finished, the picture of her family cleared up on a new window. Wash stood with everyone gathered together in blue base. Behind them was Muffins, this caused Carolina an immediate sense of bawdiness. _I hope he doesn't start going on about Papa Muffins nonsense again_. She waved her hand to the gang and they all greeted her in classic style just as she expected. But this was not so bad, a little bit of familiarity in an unfamiliar environment always proved to be helpful in coping with the things life threw her way. "Hey guys, how are you holding up?"

* * *

Ken lied in his bad with his arms behind his head. He eyed the ceiling with intense concentration. A treasured family photo rested beside him. But after a few minutes, his stare was broken upon hearing the sounds of his metal door echo in the room. Someone stood at his doorway. "Yes?"

"It's me," Chloe spoke from the other side. He slowly stood up getting the door for her. "What's with the visit at this hour?"

"I just felt like talking," she entered behind him and walked over to the bed. "I see you still have the bad habit of not making your bed."

She sat down patting the spot beside her. Chloe took the photo in her hands and looked up at Ken. "It's the memories again?"

He quickly took the photo from her hand and put it inside of a small metal box. He locked it away inside of a drawer in his desk. "Maybe…"

"Come on," she leaned in close behind him and dragged him slowly towards the bed. "In all the years I have known you, did you think you can hide your troubles that easily from me?"

"Am I that transparent?"

"You were thinking about _her_ , weren't you?"

"Yeah," he rested his forehead in his hands and rubbed it clean of any built up stress. "What can I say? All I have in my mind lately is her. I can't let it go."

"Is it because of Carolina?"

"What has she got to do with this?"

"Um, how about the fact that you brought in a stranger into our group," Chloe explained with a matter-of-fact tone. "This was a first for you."

He looked away from Chloe who had to turn his head back towards her. She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. "Ken, don't run away from your past."

He rocked backwards away from her with a displeased look on his face. "Didn't I tell you not to get so close without warning before?"

"You did," she bumped shoulder with him with a playful smirk. "But when has that stopped me?"

"Never," he mused. "It's hard to imagine you any different since you have always been like this since we were kids."

"But my impulsiveness has helped us out in the past," she stretched her arms and lied down. "So, mind sharing what made you take such an interest in Carolina? It was clearly not for the mission."

"Very funny, but initially it was."

"Initially?"

"Well it's not like I got a look at her features on our first few encounters. It was only after I planted that tracker on her armor and got a good look at her," he paused for a moment. He gripped his hands together as _her_ face flashed before his mind. "She started to remind me of her. She is so similar in terms of facial features that such an uncanny likeness is honestly sometimes scary. It makes me hope again."

"But you know that Carolina is not her right?"

He hesitantly bowed his head in understanding. "If only life were that simple, I wouldn't have to be here then."

* * *

In the main control room, Siris sat surrounded by the blue emissions of the computer monitors. He looked at the one decrypting the data. Progress was slow, but it was still happening. He reached inside one of his pockets and took out a ring to pass the time with. _Funny how bonds can be broken so easily_. He rotated the ring in between his fingers and studied the engravings. It kick started old memories in his head, memories he wished he would be able to suppress and not suffer as often. _All the years we spent together, all of that time gone down the drain_. He gripped the ring tightly in his left hand and gritted his teeth. _If only one could turn back the time, I would do so until my ledger is clean again_.

Carolina silently walked into the room as she watched Siris deep in thought. The progress on the decryption bar didn't seem to fare any better than a few minutes ago. She accidently bumped into the hologram table that nearly caused Siris to jump. He looked back and quickly stored the ring away. "Can I help you?"

"Sorry to surprise you," she held up her hands in defense. "I just wanted to know the progress on the decryption."

He motioned towards the loading bar and shook his head. "They have one heck of an encryption on here. It will take quite a bit of time before the data is ready for viewing."

"You aren't going to go sleep?"

"Someone needs to be here to monitor the progress," he answered indifferently. He turned back a little shaken from jumping at Carolina's sudden presence. She walked closer and witnessed the sweat on Siris' forehead. "Are you alright? You seem a little strange."

"I'm fine. I just have a few things on my mind right now."

She nodded her head and turned to leave as his voice clearly implied his desire to be alone. Siris shook his head and recomposed himself. _I was being strange. Maybe I'm getting rusty. Who knows, someday Ken maybe the one teaching me what I have taught him. That would be some day where our positions would be reversed_.

* * *

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The good General opened his left eye upon hearing a set of footsteps enter the room filled with the very equipment keeping him stabilized. The hospital smell of the disinfectant stung his nose strongly. _How much longer must I remain here?_ He pondered as the medical personnel took a few readings and marked them on their tablet. "It's good that you are conscious again General Creed. Although I must admit, I was rather surprised to see our very own Creed be brought into the emergency room."

Creed looked at the IV tube attached to his arm and scoffed. "When can I get out of here?"

"Judging by your readings, I would say that it probably won't be happening for another two days. But after that you should be good to go."

Creed turned his head to his right side to glare at the good doctor. The man in the white coat simply gave an empathetic look. "Are you sure you don't want a cybernetic eye?"

Creed lifted his right hand up to the black eye patch that covered the blind eye. He nodded his head and gritted his teeth. "This is a mark of shame. Replacing this mark would mean nothing more than running away from what I have lost, and the things I need to do now to lessen the burden of this shame."

"And what would that be if you don't mind my asking?"

"Kill that soldier girl who gave me this scar for starters," he tightened his hands into fists imagining her limp body lying before is feet. "Then I will crush that group that dared to steal the data from us until there is nothing left of them to bury."

Creed rose up against the doctor's orders and ripped out the IV tube from his arm. He walked towards the bathroom and studied the eye patch. A long vertical scar extended from his forehead to the bottom of his cheek on the right eye. He leaned in closer to account for his weakened vision and in a sudden burst of anger he punched the glass. Creed removed the robe and threw it onto the ground. The doctor studied the man's burn marks and looked away to give him his privacy. "How are the pain suppressants holding up?"

"They are fine," Creed put on his uniform and tied the belt around his waist. "The pain doesn't resurface from my burn marks."

"That's good," the doctor brought up their previous reports regarding this matter on Creed. "But you know, my recommendation for skin regeneration therapy still stands. I can't in good conscience let you put yourself in more pain if it can be avoided."

"Covering these wounds with a new skin won't change the past," the General stood up straight, towering over the doctor who took a step back at the authoritarian pressure Creed emitted. "I don't run away. I would much rather learn to live with them."

* * *

In the bunker, Ken and Carolina occupied a small gym. Both of them quietly did their daily dose of exercise. Chloe walked in to notice the awkward atmosphere and started her own stretches. It had been a few days since their return from the mission. The data decryption was coming along, and nearly complete. Carolina's after injury effects were lessened as well thanks to her careful tending and Church's constant monitoring. But that didn't stop Carolina from being reckless from time to time as she was now. She lifted up a dumb bell with her healing arm only to let out an irritated sigh at how useless that part of her body has become. Chloe looked over her shoulder worriedly. "Are you sure you should even be here?"

"Sitting around all day long is not exactly appealing to me."

"Neither is hurting your arm I'm sure," Ken voiced with very subtle hints of sarcasm. Carolina's arm suddenly gave away, her grip loosened and the dumb bell fell to the floor causing a loud clang of an echo. Her two comrades looked her way and shook their heads. Chloe crossed her arms as she neared. "See, you are not in any condition to be here right now."

Ken stood up and took off his shirt. He wiped off some sweat with his nearby towel. Carolina's eyes immediately browsed over his well toned body riddled with scars. Her mouth nearly parted in shock. "H-…How long have you been doing this for Ken?"

He noticed her intense stare on his body and smirked. "Most of these are from training with Siris actually. He is one tough mentor. He really likes to beat his points home. But thanks to his training, I have become quite an efficient um…killer alongside a great many other things."

"What about the ones not from the training, did they hurt?"

"Of course they would hurt, I'm still human Carolina," Ken held out his arms pointing to the scar on his abdomen. "See this one? This was from an assassination gone wrong, one of my earlier ones in fact. The target was one tough son of a bitch, and a gutsy one to. He got a good swipe on me before I could kill him."

He tied back his dirty blonde hair into a pony tail and pointed to his back. "See that one there?"

"Yeah, it looks like the injury would have been quite nasty."

"You bet," he put on his shirt and dowsed himself in some water. "The target was using a heat weapon, and she ended up stabbing me with it. It cauterized the surrounding nerves and nearly put me in danger of paralysis. I guess I was lucky enough to avoid such a fate. Of course I got the target in the end, after all no one gets away from me."

"Of course," the orange headed woman mused with grin. "And you don't like playing second fiddle when it comes to competitions."

"So you noticed eh? Good. That should also tell you how much I hate being weighed down out on the field then," he noted while gathering his things. Carolina leaned against the wall growing tired of standing upright. "So how long have you been involved with the ATSG?"

"Long enough to know the ins and outs of this organization."

"But what about your family, do they know that you are doing this? Surely they must be worried."

He suddenly glared at her at the word 'family'. She took a step back with a confused gaze. He threw the towel over his head and walked for the exit. "I didn't realize we were playing twenty questions here. A word of advice, don't be so open and trust others so easily. In this line of work, anyone who is a friend today can be an enemy tomorrow. So mind your own business."

He was then quickly gone from sight leaving a very disgruntled Carolina. "His parents must have taught him some manners all right."

Chloe stopped her weight lifting for a moment at the remark and breathed out tiresomely. "It can't be helped. He has a lot to come to terms with after all."

"That doesn't give someone the right to be rude. I wonder what his parents would think if they saw him like this."

Chloe let out a strange laughter alarming Carolina. _Did I say something funny?_ Chloe walked closer and jabbed at Carolina's chest. "Everyone has their reasons for what they do Carolina. He has his. It would be wise to remember that. And don't bring up his parents in front of him again."

"Why, do they have a bad relationship?"

"His parents are dead," she shot back immediately quietening the green eyed woman. "They were killed when he was only nine years old. His sister was the one to raise him until her disappearance eight years ago."

The awkward silence that had once disappeared had again settled down onto the gym. Carolina rubbed her arms together now feeling a heavy sense of guilt and regret for asking all those invasive questions about his parents. "Ahem, h- has the police found her yet?"

"No clue," Chloe answered as she fell onto the ground with her arms supporting her up. She began to pull herself down and then push back up in sets of ten. "After the initial report to the police, we heard some things about it but then the case just died down. I'm sure they stopped searching. No point in chasing ghosts as they would probably say."

 _No point…_ , Carolina looked out of the gym and gave a piteous look. For the rest of the hour, the two silently did their workouts leaving each to wander and contemplate their own thoughts.

* * *

 **A/N: A little relaxing chapter with focus on learning about the characters, namely Ken, Creed and Siris. Look forward to the next chapter as I go into the back story of the ever evolving organization known as "Cradle of Hope"!**

 **Thanks for taking the time to read. I appreciate the support!**

 **Constructive feedback is always appreciated.**

 **~ Monty**


	10. Cradle of Hope

**Chapter 9: Cradle of Hope**

"So, is everyone here?" Siris inquired looking around the room. They all stood tight and snug in the main operator room observing the monitors behind Siris. He looked at the keyboard and pressed a few sequences of keys bringing up a new window of data. "As you can see, we have finished decrypting the data. Wasn't easy seeing as how it was encrypted with some high level techniques, but that makes getting this all the more worth it. Now that we have cracked it, I'm sure you are all curious just what it was that we had you all risk your lives for."

He pointed to a specific section of the window guiding everyone's eyes to it. Several murmurs arose at the section of the data. It was information they could have only dreamed of obtaining in their wildest dreams, and yet here it was. It was the history of the terrorist organization 'Cradle of Hope'. Ken leaned in closer to read the various texts regarding the formation of the organization.

* * *

It was first formed on a UNSC owned mining planet. Surprisingly they weren't an organization from the start, nor a violent group. Instead they were a group of peaceful individuals who wanted nothing more than for the UNSC to respect the environment of the planets it established mining plants on. The people of the mining planet simply dubbed 'Planet C-043A' had grown to see the effects their activities were having on the environment, and how their actions affected other wildlife. Initially they wished to negotiate possible measures for mutual coexistence between the various inhabitants of the planet so that they could still mine resources within reasonable limits but also protect the environment.

The UNSC it seems didn't take too kindly to this sudden change in the people's hearts. The individuals responsible for the initial steps for the meetings were left distraught as they were ignored and shunned as outcasts by their managers, colleagues and sometimes even family. People were rejected simply for a pure motive of wanting to protect what they believed was important. Because it didn't benefit the human race, their motives were seen like an impure poison that needed to be eradicated before it could spread. But such treatment did not deter these strong willed individuals.

They took to creating peaceful protests. Such activities caught the eyes of more people. More wanted to be educated in their cause and the harm they as humans caused to the planet. Eventually their group began to grow beyond any expectations the original founders had.

But with large numbers comes the issues of management. Their group was nothing more than a rag tag team of activists for the protection of the environment. There was no clear set management structure that could help control the growing power struggles. Eventually their group began to split into sub-groups that followed the same ideals, but had different methods of execution. Some chose to abide by the peaceful ways, while others walked the path of violence. As the UNSC grew more aware of the threat the violent protestors posed, they decided to take drastic measures in suppressing the whole group. Unfortunately for the military, that did not deter their adversaries but instead encouraged them to take even more violent actions. The group began to fight back with all their might.

Eventually UNSC sent down several squads for crowd control, and elimination. But it seems the army had underestimated these miners, after all what could they have done? But the mission that was supposed to be a cake walk for the UNSC turned into a blood bath. When the UNSC pelicans landed, the believers of the violent path stood ready with their tools. When the bay doors opened, they charged towards the soldiers. Without any remorse, pity or a second thought, the miners bathed in the blood of their "enemies".

This small scale civil war against the UNSC caused them to take more drastic actions. The planet was to be shut down, and everyone involved in the bloodbath be sent in for trials. These actions were only the building blocks for what would come to grow into an organization with growing support within the prisons and any members that escaped the UNSC onto other planets. The support had grown silently to keep a low profile. Eventually it was strong enough to garner demands for the establishment of an official organization, 'Cradle of Hope'. They initially tried to do things within the law, but even as an organization they found much petty resistance that hindered their efforts. Greed was the name of the game with corporations who had so closely invested in the various planets across the galaxy.

The desire to do things legally and be respectful of other corporations quickly died down. The ideal of 'equality' twisted into 'power rules all and creates change'. After many failed attempts at being heard, the organization went off the grid and took more violent actions once again to achieve the same results they would have through negotiations. These methods made enough of an impact to warrant a new found confidence.

This was the right path. Even if violence was wrong, it gave birth to seeds for change. Even if that change was to be achieved through force, it was change that would eventually become a natural part of human society. The organization had a clear goal then. It was to stop the humans from abusing planets any further including the one that gave birth to their race. They saw the growing need to bring humans back to the path they should walk instead of the destructive one they were walking. Corruption was rampant, and they believed themselves to be saviors against it.

Their activities had garnered the support of shady organizations as well such as the mob. Whether this was due to absolute beliefs in their cause, or due to the fact that Cradle of Hope made for a good distraction for the law remains unknown. But it is clear that they received massive funding which helped expand their activities to several more planets and eventually back to Earth. The growing aggressiveness of the organization triggered an all out war with the UNSC, one in which Cradle of Hope saw it's light dim and flicker on all fronts of their operations but on Earth.

It was there that was their only safe haven now. The governments had dismissed the threat they posed due to the so little numbers, their mistake. The numbers eventually grew through smartly disguised propaganda. They began to see a resurgence of their sponsors who then helped them begin an efficient chain supply of weapons and other materials. The organization grew through small time jobs that were sometimes within, but most times outside of the law. Once their funding was stable, they were able to stand up on their own two legs again. The organization grew out from its childhood steps and into the world it once knew before. Hell was about to be let loose on Earth. Their targets were clear. To stop the infection that is humans from spreading, it was only logical to target the space centers and airports around the world.

It seems that their actions finally convinced the passive governments that they were not groups of individuals to be trifled with. The threat needed to be stomped out before it could grow any more on Earth. They chose to act quickly and suppress by dividing and conquering them. Every other nation but the USA managed to act in time. However the US was stuck in an infinite loop of internal political conflicts. The people wanted the threat gone, but at the same time there were factors that worked against the government and did not help them in stopping the terrorists. Even if the government wanted to act, the people would just find new ways of protesting them for it. The mass surveillance move was to blame for this. Such legislation caused the people to lose trust in their government.

Thanks to the weakness of the US, the organization found yet another safe territory to sleep in and awaken once again. But while all of this transpired, there were plans in motion secretly to ensure the survivability of their organization. Eventually, instead of relying on simply select few leaders, they opted to elect a board of members from their most trusted group of members. These key members essentially became the living embodiment of their ideals and the limbs of the organization. Cradle of Hope began to take more direct approaches in recruiting new members in comparison to their propaganda in the past. With time, the organization again grew in size, but so did their enemy covert agencies established by the government.

A new threat of being wiped out loomed over their heads, but they were smart enough to take action and destroy any who would stood in their way. Many agencies also destroyed themselves thanks to the eventual acknowledgement of their existence to the public. The people would not take too kindly to being spied upon and would call for the dismantling of these agencies. Cradle of Hope saw an opportunity in this and attacked any buildings related to space traveling.

Sometimes they even attacked military bases with a moderate level of success. Of course the military fought back, but the strategies the terrorists employed were far superior to anything that a normal soldier would expect. However any who were caught during such operations took swift action to prevent any information from being leaked. They would happily give up their own lives for the cause.

* * *

Chloe cupped her mouth feeling slightly disturbed at how dedicated their followers are. Ken pointed to an interesting bit of the data. "There is only one person responsible for running the whole organization right now. It seems their board member structure collapsed after assassinations on the members."

"Yes, we get the leader we get the organization," Siris replied but quickly slumped his shoulders. "However the issue lies in the location of the leader. That is the mystery box that remains yet to be found."

"You are telling me that it's not on the data?" Carolina inquired beginning to wonder just how much of a goose chase the ATSG must have gone through in the past trying to track Cradle of Hope down. Siris conformed Carolina's suspicions earning several tired moans from the crowd. Another one of the ATSG members asked. "So what happens now?"

"No clue," the man in the purple trimmed battle suit replied sitting down at the computer desk. "But all I know is that more research will need to be done into this."

"Anything else we should know?" Ken queried at which Siris seemed a little hesitant at first to answer, but quickly recomposed himself. "No…nothing else."

While the rest bought the answer, Chloe was not one to be fooled so easily. "Are you sure Siris?"

He stood up to her eye level with a determined look on his face. "Yes, I'm sure. I have already checked the data twice over. If you don't believe me, be my guest to do this yourself."

She held up her hands submitting the power to him and dispersed with the rest of the group. He watched the gang leave and eyed Ken. Siris shook his head and sat back down in the chair. In a soft whisper he closed shut his eyes and bit the bottom of his lip. "I'm sorry, Ken."

* * *

"Again!" Creed roared with great conviction to continue his training until he was able to perfect his fighting. His subordinates walked into the moderately sized ring the General occupied in a large training facility. The men who walked with shaky knees raised their fists. Creed slowly walked towards his men, and kept special attention to his right side. Many were instructed to make use of any opportunity they could use to get him from his blind side.

The men jumped in together. Creed dodged them all by sliding backwards. He stepped forward and kneed one hard in the nose until blood sprayed out. The two jumped at him from his sides. Creed stopped the one to his left in his track and threw him out of the ring. The one to his right managed to get the jump on him and held him by his neck. Creed struggled against the grip and flipped the subordinate over his shoulder. The man landed hard with a loud crack. His back arched upwards in pain as his legs squirmed in the agony that slithered through his body.

"Not good enough, again!" Creed shouted even louder to incite greater fear in his men. They understood that should they fail to meet his expectations, they could very well foresee a punishment depriving them of their necessities in the near future. The one with the broken nose approached his superior from the back, but was careless to make a sound giving away his position. The one from the right side took out a knife, provided by Creed himself and went in for a jab and the third one acted as a distraction. Their tactics were solid. They would have succeeded had it not been for the fact that Creed knew the purpose of this training exercise. He anticipated their movements well ahead of time.

Creed ducked down to the ground and slid his foot across the floor knocking the one behind him off balance. The one with the knife was dealt with equally as fast and disarmed. Creed used the newly acquired weapon against the distraction and brought the blade's edge against his neck. "I thought our men were trained better than this."

He took the hilt of the knife and smacked it hard against his subordinate's skull. He stood up having felt revitalized and dominant over all. _I may not be as efficient as before right now, but this should be more than enough_. He threw the knife away and looked at his fists. _I will kill you and all that you protect soldier girl. Only then can I ever find peace and forever silence this uneasiness originating from my shame and mistakes. I will not disappoint her and protect all that this organization stands for. We will, all of us make sure that the organization fulfills its noble objectives_.

* * *

 **A/N: A bit of back story on the organization that acts as the antagonist for this trilogy. I figure it was time that more information was given on them rather than keep them as some elusive enemy. I will flat out say this though that I realize that this way of revelation versus the one in the New Order trilogy may not have been the best. But honestly I could not think of any other way to discuss their history because any way I would think of would end up being exposition dumps as it already is. So aside from that I hope it was still interesting to learn about them, but that doesn't mean that the history of the organization is what it will be today. Things change, and so do organizations after all :).**

 **I hope you enjoyed the read and thank you for your support!**

 **Constructive criticism is appreciated!**

 **~ Monty**


	11. Time to Set Off

**Chapter 10: Time to Set Off**

It was deep into the afternoon that Carolina got a message from Siris to come meet him in the main control room. As she stumbled inside she noticed Ken and Chloe already discussing a few things with him. None of them seemed any happier to see her than what their mood was like before. In the back of her head, Church lit up a red flag. Something serious was being discussed, and it was a matter none of them looked excited about.

Siris waved her over. It seems Church's suspicions of the situation were correct. Siris was able to data mine the disk for more hidden data. According to him, it had even higher level protection than the base data they recovered. Carolina stopped to look at the monitors with the data displayed in clear view. "This is…crazy."

"Crazy is a light way of putting it," Ken remarked pointing to the numbers. They were over three hundred thousand. Chloe agreed and said. "To think that they could amass these many numbers, and that doesn't even include the people on the various space colonies."

"There are more?" Carolina felt the gravity of the situation beginning to settle in. The weight was too heavy for her to carry alone. Siris displayed the various locations of the latest recruits and long time believers were stationed at. Many were dormant, waiting for the right moment and the right signal. They were waiting for their calling. She shook her head and let out a broken smile at the ridiculousness of their numbers. "How are we supposed to fight against these many people with this small group? Not to mention, each and every one of these people go through combat training according to the data here."

"The odds definitely aren't in our favor eh?" Ken stepped forward and handed Carolina data pad. Chloe shrugged her shoulder and joked. "When are they ever?"

"Good point," he answered leaning beside her. Siris watched the exchange while lost deep in thought. He pointed to the upcoming meetings on Carolina's data pad. "I have squeezed in an emergency meeting with the whole group to discuss this matter. The numbers here are daunting and quite frankly impossible for us to handle. But this is reality, and we have to face it instead of running away from it."

* * *

Later at the meeting, Siris explained the situation calmly to every member. Expectedly there were cries of worry, uncertainty and a growing lack of faith in their abilities. The same feeling of hopelessness that Siris felt upon seeing the numbers now afflicted the rest. But he was quick to rally the troops together. "Divided we fall, united we stand strong together, remember that!"

"That talk is all good but how do you suggest we face against those odds?" one voice echoed the thoughts of many. Siris crossed his arms and shot back with equal force. "That's why we are having this emergency meeting right now. We are here to brain storm and come up with ideas, not whine."

After the voices died down, Ken raised his hand and made the first suggestion. "Well the dormant members are waiting for a signal. What if that signal never comes?"

"What are you suggesting Ken?" asked Siris.

"The data from before mentioned that there is only one person in charge of the organization right now. So if we take that person down as well as any other high ranking individuals that help maintain order in Cradle of Hope," he stopped to catch his breath for a moment. "Then we stand a damn good chance of rendering those large numbers useless."

"What if that doesn't work?" Church appeared from the hologram table upon transferring his consciousness to it. "What would you do then?"

Ken wondered the question for a moment and simply shrugged his body. "I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"Of course you hadn't," Church remarked somewhat bitterly. Humans as it seems to him don't seem too often. This was the one trait Church was never fond of with people. Winging it may have been something acceptable by his older versions, but as he evolved with time he also learned to believe more in the efficiency of a plan as well as mapping for other scenarios well ahead of time. He looked at Carolina who understood the signal via their neural connection. "How about as a contingency we create an army of our own?"

"Where would we get one exactly?" Chloe asked as others agreed. "Yeah, it's not like we can just roll up to the driveway of other militaries on Earth and ask for help. We are a covert agency remember?"

"What about the UNSC?" the orange haired woman proposed. But the suggestion was quickly shot down upon reminder that publicly the UNSC has no military power in the individual countries. The only time they could ever act with such intentions is when things get so out of control from the local government's hands, that the only thing to do is for the UNSC to deploy its forces for damage control. Carolina rested her chin in her hand in deep reflection. "Then how about the police?"

"Hah," Ken laughed heartily at the option. "You would have better luck asking the mob than the police for help. Those lug nuts just go in an infinite circle with their investigations regarding the Cradle of Hope. What makes you think they would be any better in fighting against them? I would stick with organizations that have an actual brain to use."

"As crudely as that was put," Siris smirked slightly. The mentor and the student were similar in more respects than one Carolina thought. "I have to agree with Ken. The police can't even be of help to the general public. Bringing them onboard would bring more harm to us than good."

Carolina was quickly reaching the end of her wits. But one last option stuck out in her mind. An option she was most reluctant to fall back on. _I was hoping to let them stay out of this. But if they hear about this opportunity, they might want to come here to help. It seems that there can never be a dull moment for them_. She looked towards Church who presented an image of her family. "How about them?"

"Aren't those the reds and the blues who helped topple the Project Freelancer?" one of the soldiers inquired.

"Yes, they are. They are also individuals not bound by any laws should they choose to come here and aid us."

"They are on the UNSC's payroll, that makes them plenty bound," Ken jabbed at the suggestion, but they didn't exactly have other options right now. Carolina shook her head and corrected him. "That is true, but that won't stop them from doing the right thing. They have always pulled through when it mattered the most, UNSC or not."

She pointed to the numbers on the screen of the enemy army. "You look at these numbers and tell me where else can we gather even one more person to help us right now? You don't want to reveal the existence of ATSG to the public, but at the same time want to amass an army of equal footing if not more. How do you expect to do that while being picky?"

One by one they all began to agree to the words that rang the chime of truth. Ken finally gave in and let her handle things from then on regarding the army recruitment. Siris looked around and noted the consensus reached. "If that is what everyone agrees to, then Carolina I will leave this in your hands. You will know what to say to them. Remember, all of this rests on the words you choose."

"So no pressure then," Church added with a sarcastic tone. "Great, I'm so looking forward to this."

* * *

Ring! Ring!

"Yes, hello, thank you for calling Blue Base. My name is Caboose and I will be you-"

"Hey Caboose," Church interrupted the blue soldier who perked up upon hearing his best friend's voice. "Church, it's you! How have you been?"

"Oh you know, busy getting blown up, hacking shit and overall getting my kicks from late nights out. How about you? Shot anyone else on Blue team yet, or maybe blown them up with Sheila?"

"Oh well that you know, I don't really do that now because they all said they didn't want my help. So I decided I won't help them!"

"Smart call," Church snickered. "Listen Caboose, I need you to go ahead and gather everyone in Blue base. Carolina and I have something important to talk about. Think you can do that?"

"Sure, I will go gather everyone in Blue base…and then yell surprise!"

"You do that buddy, thanks," Church looked back at Carolina and shook his head. "It looks like he still has a few screws lose."

"When did he have them to begin with?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face. Church found her words to be deliciously insulting, he liked it. "No wonder you and I get along so well sis."

Everyone promptly gathered at Caboose's insistence. Carolina was quick to explain the situation in the hopes of getting a favorable response. But the answers she got were more or less mixed. Washington gave his full support to her, but the others seemed torn between helping and staying. Carolina clamped her hands together and bowed her head. "I know what I'm asking for is a lot. But please lend me your strength. I know how some of you must feel having to leave Blood Gulch again, but please…"

Washington looked behind him at the unsure groans his comrades gave towards the camera. "Carolina, can we call you back once we talk this over on our end?"

* * *

She agreed to his terms seeing that he may make more progress on his end rather than have Carolina constantly beg them. He switched off the transmission and turned back to the Reds and the Blues. "I'm surprised you guys have to think about this at all."

"Having to leave home constantly to go on some crazy adventure can really grate a man's mood Wash," Sarge answered with a fatigued voice. The others agreed with Tucker being the most prominent one of them all. "Yeah dude, what good will going to Earth do? I mean we may be able to help with spreading the word and shit, but beyond that we are not exactly looking to take part in their conflicts."

"What about the time when you all went back to help Church and Carolina in bringing down Project Freelancer?" Wash argued hitting them right in their weak spot. But Simmons had a comeback ready just for this situation. "That was different. At that time Church and Carolina were going to face dangerous odds alone. This time they are not alone. You heard just how capable the ATSG really is. By comparison we would be more of a hindrance to them."

"Yeah, we are terrible soldiers," Grif added earning some protest from Sarge. "You mean some of us are terrible soldiers."

"Yeah, preach it big bro!"

"[I don't like the idea of leaving my beautiful tools and daily grind behind either. But the rest of you can feel free to go on this suicide mission on which I'm absolutely _not_ hoping that any of you die.]"

"I know Lopez. It would be a shame to give up my daily routine of sun tanning in favor of getting dirtier in battle. It just sounds all so icky," Donut squirmed at the thought of dirt sticking to his armor. _It takes ages to clean my armor until is shining like the sun_.

"I don't know, I think it sounds fun," Muffins raised a hand from the corner of the room. The others were surprised to find him here, but Tucker was quick to shut him down. "You are not involved in this Muffins. Go back to hitting on your crew or something."

"I take offense to that my good Tucker," the good Captain answered in his traditional German accent. "I do not hit, I flirt like a gentleman."

"Right, because grabbing the ass of your male colleague in broad daylight is very gentlemen like."

"Absolutely," Muffins nodded his head glad to see that they finally get it, but unaware of the sarcasm flying right over his head. "You must all simply join me someday on the sophisticated groping. It is open butt hunting season right now."

"I'll pass up on that offer," Wash immediately said as his skin crawled at the thought. Caboose stepped forward. "We should go help, because friends help one another."

 _Oh boy, here we go_. Tucker face palmed himself seeing another speech come on. The fragments all appeared beside their respective hosts and agreed. Grif let out a loud moan. "You guys can't seriously be buying into this."

"Sarge, if people are nice to one another then everyone will have a better time together!" Theta exclaimed. "You told me about it before after all."

Eta inched closer and eyed Simmons. "Being alone is scary. Being with everyone else is better."

"To be with everyone together, it is best to maintain good relationships!" Iota stated with his arms stretched out wide into a hugging pose. Donut nodded his head liking the sound of Iota's words. Doc's personality did a sudden switch as Omega let out a most maniacal laughter. "I could do with blowing some fools away. Plus I hear that it's quite tropical in Hawaii this time of the year."

"I agree," Gamma proposed. "We are getting tired of remaining dormant. Even we fragments need exercise from time to time."

"Then go play some virtual chess or something," Grif complained with the cross of his arms. He turned his head away still as stubborn as a mule. Delta however continued to encourage the group. "According to my observations, it would be quite a loss should we leave Carolina to handle this alone. There is a strong possibility of greater casualties."

"All together!" Freckles synthesized through the rifle as the in-built flashlight blinked. The others were beginning to be swayed. They didn't like the idea of losing Carolina either. Losing Church was bad enough, but unlike Church she would not be able to come back. Unlike Church, there is only one chance for her. Caboose raised his arms to hype up the room. "Yeah, so let's go meet with Carolina and throw her a birthday party!"

"You know what," Sarge reloaded his shotgun with a chuckle. "I'm in."

Slowly the others were agreeing as well. Even Tucker who crumbled under the pressure, and worry for letting them go off on their own. Grif however maintained a strong position against leaving. But Muffins had a solution for that as well. "We have banana pudding aboard our ship."

"When do we leave?"

"Aaa…what about the bases guys?" Sister inquired saying the first coherent thing she could in a long while. It nearly brought Grif to tears. _I'm so proud of you little sister_. Washington looked around the room with a deep contemplative moan and suggested. "What if we left Sister and Sheila behind to look after the bases?"

"Sounds good, that way she can't embarrass the family anymore."

"I love you to big brother!"

Simmons had no qualms about it and neither did the others. Tucker did seem a little saddened by the turn of events though. _Great, so this will be another sausage fest. But then again there were those hot pelican pilots...ladies here I come, bow-chicka-bow-wow!_ They were all in agreement. Muffins was growing excited for their new road trip. "It is a road trip to save Earth that I shall dub, 'The Eight Sexies and the Mission to save Earth'!"

"What a boring name, boo!" Grif cupped his hands around the sides of his mouthpiece but was quickly silenced by Muffins' retort. "I can feel Grif's share of pudding already melting in my mouth."

"What a great name, you go Muffins!"

* * *

It wasn't long before they began to take only what they needed for the trip. Tucker made sure to leave none of his sacred stash behind. _I'm sure thirty gigs of porn taking up storage space won't make much difference. After all, a man needs some way to release_. Caboose ran around blue base talking to Delta and Freckles. "We will make this the best trip ever!"

At Red base, Sarge packed his Shotgun as well as extra ammunition. Donut was in a rush to water his gardens and say his tearful goodbyes to his 'babies'. Grif made sure to pack plenty of things to help weigh his belly down. Simmons stared at the cell phone he had received as a gift from Edwards and safely stored it in one of his pockets. He took one last look at his room and shut off the lights. _I will sure have a lot of cleaning to do once we get back_ , he wondered leaving the base with the rest.

Doc was ready onboard waiting for his allies who slowly walked onto the pelican and took their seats on both sides. Grif looked as the doors closed and shouted to Sister. "Remember, don't burn down the bases!"

"But feel free to do it to Blue base!" Sarge comically added at the last minute. The Pelicans lifted into the air with a loud roar. Lopez looked back one last time at Sheila and waved goodbye.

"Come back home soon and call me!" she shouted waving her rocket launcher arm, making the pilots of the Pelicans rather unnerved. They broke through the sea of clouds and high up into the atmosphere. The UNSC ship was now in clear sight. Muffins clapped his hands and declared. "Ah so she is still floating, good job men. You can all look forward to a well earned visit to my private quarters."

"We will pass up on that sir!" one of the hanger bay operators replied as they opened the doors for the Pelicans to land. "You are all clear for landing."

"Roger that, now aligning with docking lights," the pilots confirmed as they saw beams of yellow guidance light extending from the entrance of the hanger bay. Muffins stood up upon the Pelican's landing and stretched out his arms. "Gentlemen, welcome to Muffins' ship of fun!"

With their mission clear, they soon set off on yet another grand adventure.

* * *

 **A/N: With this chapter, it marks the official return of the reds and the blues into the main story. They will play a bigger and a more pivotal role in this trilogy now. Expect more appearances from canon characters as well as I have been saying since Season 17 fanfic. I hope the wait was worth it for you and looking forward to their adventures.**

 **Thank you for your readership and support!**

 **How are you finding this trilogy so far in comparison to the "New Order" trilogy and as a story on its own merits?**

 **Constructive feedback is always appreciated.**

 **~ Monty**


	12. Bring down the Arms

**Chapter 11: Bring down the Arms**

It had been two weeks. In this time passed, the ATSG began to feel brittle from the lack of activity. But it seems as if they had finally come upon new hope. The lack of information was beginning to bother many, especially Siris who had the responsibility of the whole organization on his shoulders as well as accountability to his higher ups. Information had recently popped up on their radar in the form of a tip. Siris studied the information. It was valuable, but originating from an unreliable source. Though they could not afford to let this opportunity to pass by.

He had a plan, but the rest were unconvinced by the authenticity behind information. He encouraged them all, and soon they rallied together. Siris handed out several data pads with the mission details. Ken studied the report with an amused hum. "So we are to hit up a weapons factory that is responsible for providing Cradle of Hope with its weaponry, as well as act as a source of income. Isn't this job more or less for our heavy hitting squads? I'm more of a stealth kind of guy."

"I need people I implicitly trust on this one," Siris noted as he pointed to the financial figures coming out of this factory. "If we can hit them where it hurts financially, we will be slowing them down and most certainly deterring their larger scaled operations."

"I'm in," Chloe stepped forward and nudged Ken on the arms. "You know that this is the best course of action."

With a sigh he looked up to his mentor. "Who will be leading this mission?"

"You will."

Ken nearly choked on his own spit and jumped back in surprise. "M- Me? You know I have never led a mission of this nature before."

"There is a first time for everything Ken," Siris rested a hand on his student's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. "I trust you. Remember, experience makes the master, not just the knowledge alone."

The rest looked at him as they would onto a leader. He felt as if his body was shrinking under their stares. He rubbed his hands together and his body fidgeted from the attention. "Okay, I guess worst comes to worst, we wing it."

"No room for improvisation here dude," Church answered as he appeared beside Carolina. She agreed stating. "If this mission is really as important as the information makes it out to be, then we must succeed."

"Great, no pressure then," Ken remarked in a sardonic voice. "Thanks for being considerate guys, real team players."

Siris let out a hearty laugh, one he hadn't had in a long while. "You will be fine, you always are."

"Plus with me to cover your ass, we will make this work," Chloe bumped his back with her fist. He smirked under his breath and looked up with a renewed confidence. "Well if Chloe says so, then I guess we will have no choice but to make it work."

Siris thanked Ken for taking on this mission. "There is a van waiting outside of the bunker. Take your team and get ready ASAP, make sure the best negotiator is the one driving. Go in, plant the C4 charges and get out. Blow the factory to Kingdom Kong and call it a day."

"I like the sound of that," Carolina responded with the crack of her fists. The idea of bringing down a whole factory was already getting her excited. The gang dispersed to retrieve their weapons and ammo. They all did a thorough checkup of their equipment and one by one exited the bunker. Outside in the cold early morning, where the sky was tinted in a hue of orange and blue, there was a white van ready for departure. One of the team members opened the back doors and flipped them to the sides. They waited for everyone to board one by one. The team was certainly not large, but enough to be considered a decent demolition squad. The team member closed the doors and sat in the driver's seat. "Okay everyone, here we go."

* * *

"Is the data transfer complete?" Creed questioned as he stood monitoring the security cameras feedback. The individual behind him was hesitant to say anything. His hands shook behind his back. "Um…about that sir. We started to copy the data over last night but it seems we have run into a…"

"Technical problem?" Creed turned to the man who retreated in fear of the shadow encompassing over his whole body. The subordinate nodded his head but kept their eyes on the ground. Creed turned back to the monitors. _To think that it had to be today of all days_. He squinted his eyes at the server room and ordered for two guards to be stationed at the entrance. "No matter, we must proceed with the plan as stated. They will come here and when they do, we must eliminate them."

"How do you know that this will be the factory they arrive at sir?"

"Because I have a very educated guess I can make," Creed smirked as he inspected the entrance to the factory and patiently waited. "Tell everyone to be ready for potential resistance today. Also post guards by the server room."

* * *

The ATSG van turned a street corner and the driver saw the factory now in sight. He knocked to the back compartment housing the rest. "Get ready, I see the factory."

"No turning back now," Chloe stretched her neck and reloaded her sniper rifle. Ken playfully bumped shoulders with her. "There was no turning back ever, right?"

"Heh, right."

The van came to a halt as the driver negotiated an entrance onto the factory grounds. The security gates opened, the driver slowly drove inside doing his best to act natural and avert suspicion. He was guided into a docking bay to release the good into. As soon as the van came to a stop, and the engine turned off, Ken worked past everyone to the back doors and activated his invisibility cloak. The driver departed and opened the back doors. He then proceeded to talk to the factory workers, slowly taking them into another area and gave Ken the open window of opportunity he needed.

Ken walked to the nearest emergency alarm trigger and with discretion he pushed down on the 'T' shaped button. The bell shrieked loudly warning the workers to retreat. The guards looked around overcome by the sudden influx of bodies in large numbers. Creed looked at the loading area and noticed several people exiting the van. "They are here. This is their doing. Alert the rest of the guards, make sure not one leaves here alive or else I will have their heads."

Many of the van's occupants knocked out the guards amidst this panic and donned their armor to better blend in with their environment. But this was of no use against Creed as he eyed their actions very carefully. The General left the security room to his subordinate's command. With heavy steps he approached one of the guards who acted natural and nodded their head towards the superior officer. Creed stopped in front of the guard towering over him and wrapped his hand around the tiny man's neck.

The guard panicked, the gig was up and he was exposed. Creed lifted him in the air and slammed his back against the wall. As the ATSG member tried to resist, he found a strong fist smash the side of his skull hard against the metal wall. Both heard an audible crack, the ATSG man felt something break and ache within his head. Creed inflicted the final blow with a swift and a bloody punch to the eyes which punctured under the pressure.

The other ATSG members gathered outside of the van to receive instructions. Their meeting was quickly interrupted however as Chloe pointed to the approaching Creed who held their deceased comrade. He threw the body down towards them and many gasped in horror at seeing the grotesque and misshaped eyeballs. Creed fixated his stare on Carolina who shifted uncomfortably in her spot. "I still owe you for what you did to me before soldier girl."

The others lifted their weapons and opened fire. He activated the jets on his back and glided forwards. Many bullets danced past him, but his shield managed to block those on direct trajectory. Creed was quick on the uptake. He kicked one in the kneecap, dismantling it from their leg and threw him up towards a few to his right. He blocked a kick from the left and smashed the leg's bone in half. The attacker dropped on the floor screaming in agony. But Creed made quick work of the screamer with a heavy stomp to the skull. As the others reloaded, he took the opportunity to disarm several and kill them. Their numbers were quickly dwindling and they could not take on anymore casualties.

Ken threw down a grenade towards the General and ordered for the team to spread out. Carolina and Chloe remained behind to keep the General at bay. He looked back worriedly but Chloe gave him a thumb up. "We can handle it. You go on Ken. You know the importance of the mission."

"Unfortunately," he replied motioning for the others to plant the bombs in their designated areas. "Be safe."

"Yeah, the two of us will be more than enough to handle a big lug like you," Carolina remarked with the stretch of her neck. Creed slowly stood up recovering from the grenade and sneered towards the cyan armored soldier. "Arrogance is an unbecoming trait of people. It is a trait that plagues us and if not fixed, it marks the undoing of that individual, soldier girl."

Chloe quickly prepared her sniper rifle and fired at his head. But the bullet simply deflected and her attempt ended in her defeat. He snatched the sniper rifle, dismantled its various components and broke both her arms. The sharp sting originating from her arms caused her to lash out in extreme pain, and she was left squirming on the ground grovelling in her own spit. Just before he could deliver the finishing blow, he was quickly distracted by Carolina's attempt at scathing his armor with her assault rifle.

"You people never learn," Creed declared moving in closer and disarming her of the rifle. With ease he broke the rifle into little pieces. As Carolina reached for her pistol, he took her limber arm in a tight grip and threw the pistol away. Creed tripped her legs and punched her in the ribs. She could feel them loosening and her lungs desperate for air.

* * *

Ken walked in the shadows and the guards stationed around his sector remained ignorant. _That's it. You all continue to be minimum wage clueless minions_. He came across a curious room that sheltered the factory's in-house server. _I smell an information extraction opportunity, that and the fact that somebody let out a nasty fart_. He looked at the closest guard to him who very poorly pretended to play it off onto another guard. _I know I make fun of you guys and all but sometimes you all make it just so easy to justify it_.

Ken walked towards the entrance and noticed the two guards at the doorway. He prepared his wrist blades and stabbed one through the bottom of his mouth. The other acted quickly looking around, he was puzzled. Thin air could not have possibly killed this man, but in a sense it did as the guard soon found out. Ken stabbed the blade through the second guard's jugular and quietly set him down onto the ground. He dragged the two bodies inside and out of sight without spilling much blood. Ken looked around for the main console and contacted his allies. "So anyone up for playing bodyguard for a while? I think I may have found something good here."

"Bodyguard? What are you doing Ken? We have a simple mission to attend to!" one of the ATSG members asked in a concerned voice. The apprehension was however justified as Ken explained what he was up to. The ATSG members all quickly began to grow apprehensive of this side mission. But one finally volunteered upon finishing with their sector. "I'll be there, until then try to keep your head down fearless leader."

"You know me," Ken smirked with a chuckle. "I'm always about stealth, go in quietly and get out fast."

"I'm sure you are like that with the ladies."

"If only I had a love life to speak of, if only," Ken replied with a slightly disheartened voice. He inserted the data disk and began to copy over the data. Thanks to the oversight of their techs, he managed to find a back door into far more valuable data than what they found previously. He accessed a personnel folder and whistled with a tune of victory. The data regarding the leader of the organization was in there. This was more than anyone could have ever hoped for. But as he opened the data file, his mouth parted in shock. _This is…Aria Langford? No, that's not possible_.

He studied the picture with an intense stare. _Could this be a setup?_ He asked of himself looking at her long, and silky black hair that extended down to her back. He gazed into her dark brown eyes and pondered. _Why are you in their database?_ Everything about her matched what he knew. It really was her.

The remaining survivors of the group finished planting the charges. The support for Ken arrived shooting through the halls and setup a barricade to buy them some time. He took out his binoculars and noticed a small army of guards closing the distance. "Ken, I don't care if you have finished copying the data but we need to move our asses now!"

Ken looked speechless at the monitor. He gripped his hands together to keep them from shaking. The shock was getting to him and beginning to break him down mentally. _This is not supposed to happen_. But he was quickly snapped out of this strange trance. "Ah yeah, I am…I am coming."

The rest of the ATSG soldiers joined up with Ken and prepared to fight off the mini army. They opened fire gunning down several guards. Ken took out his pistol and shot three in the head with pin point accuracy. They remained behind cover until the enemy were downed. The room was cleared quickly through their superior team work and communication. Now they only had one task left, retreat to a safe distance before detonation. They all began the run back to the docking bay.

* * *

Creed blocked one of many punches Carolina threw. He discovered the arm he dislocated last time had become considerably weaker. It was a perfect opening and a weakness to exploit. He attacked her in the abs and then proceeded to elbow her in the face. Her head bounced around in her helmet leaving a few bruises on her cheeks. She found it increasingly difficult to keep up with him. _How can this be? He has only one eye and yet I still have this much trouble?_

"Church," she huffed stumbling back on her feet. "Pour all of the energy into the speed module."

"I don't think that's a good idea," he echoed hearing an irritated groan from his partner. "We don't have much choice here now do we Church? Just do it!"

"Jeez okay," he began the subroutine to divert the power additional power into the speed module. "Just don't come crying to me when this goes tits up."

"Duly noted," she powered up the speed module and ran to Creed's right side. She managed to land a punch to his side and kneed him in the abs. His armor however persisted against her physical attacks. She moved in from the left side but was quickly discouraged. He held her in a firm grip by her shoulder and forced her onto the ground. Carolina kicked him in the visor and jumped up. She activated her jets and landed behind him. Without rest she threw a stream of punches, each carrying more force than the one before.

Creed looked back from his left eye and held both her arms in place. He fell back and crushed her beneath his body onto the ground. A large scream alerted Ken who approached the area with the rest. Ken bent down and motioned for his allies to stay put. He activated his invisibility cloak and poked his head out. In his sight was a weakened Carolina who did her best to try and crawl away. But Creed was not willing to let his prey escape him. He lifted her up into the air with the intention of breaking her back. Ken looked to his comrades and motioned them via hand signals. They had a plan, and now they just had to execute it.

* * *

Clink! Clank!

Creed looked down to a small rolling canister that hit his feet. It was shaped like a grenade! A sudden burst of smoke spread through the room. They were smoke grenades creating the perfect shroud for Ken and his allies. Carolina elbowed Creed on the helmet and fell to the ground behind him upon his loosened grip. Creed activated his thermal vision only to observe several bodies invading the space. Many held up their guns to suppress the General in his spot as two came to pick up Carolina. Ken slid past Creed and studied Chloe's condition. "Come on Chloe, talk to me."

Her painful moans were more than enough to give him some hope. "You better keep on fighting that pain, you hear me Chloe?"

He picked her up in his arms and ran towards the van. The driver was all prepared. Creed immediately turned his attention to the van as soon as the gunfire stopped and the engine started. He ran out of the smoke and jumped onto the roof of the vehicle with a loud thud. The driver backed out only to feel the additional weight throw off the vehicle's balance. "We have an unwanted guest, someone deal with it!"

Ken kicked open the back doors and slowly leaned outside. One of the ATSG soldiers held him by his belt as Ken aimed a shotgun at Creed. The General reacted fast and rolled off the van only to come to a hard drop against the concrete road. He stood up and chased them, but his speed was of no match for the van. Ken sat back inside and exchanged his weapons for the detonator. He waved to the General and pressed hard on the button.

* * *

The bombs exploded with success weakening the structural integrity of the factory. The pillars collapsed onto the ground, with it came down the roof piling on the destruction along its way. The factory came down burning into the ground. Creed looked behind himself at the ruins and punched the gate. No one dared to disturb his thoughts right now as the damage the gate endured from his anger was an evident warning. "Get me the guards responsible for guarding the factory."

"M…Most of them are dead sir."

"Drag the ones still alive here!"

"To do what?"

"I won't sleep until I have their heads!" Creed answered as his eyes widened with rage. His subordinate excused himself not wishing to stay a moment longer beside the man. Creed reached out for the communication control on his armor and called the man who acted as an advisor of sorts for Cradle of Hope. "Adrian, we need to be more proactive in our approach from now on. We also need to speed up the plans."

"You sound disgruntled," the advisor's amused voice scarred Creed deeply reminding him of his failure. _You knew that we would fail didn't you Adrian?_ Creed ignored the attempts by Adrian to goad him into another outburst. It was all in an attempt to prove how unfit Creed was for this job. Adrian unlike the others had never been one to support Creed's welcome into the organization. But he put up with it as that was the wish of the organization's leader. "We need to wake up the leader."

"So soon?" Adrian inquired rather interested at the sudden turn of events. Creed breathed heavily as he felt his confidence beginning to waver. "There isn't much time left. To achieve success she is important. We must wake _her_ up."

* * *

 **A/N: Quite a longer chapter this time around. Also unlike the previous few, it is filled with action and some story tid-bits. I'm sure the more attentive readers will have figured something out that I don't directly state in this chapter, something important to the story and character.**

 **How was that chapter? What do you think of this fanfic so far? Are you excited to see more of what is to come?**

 **Constructive criticism/feedback is always welcomed.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read and support this story, I appreciate it!**

 **~ Monty**


	13. Hidden Truth

**Chapter 12: Hidden Truth**

Ken walked into the main control room wanting for answers. But under this bright night, where most others rested up from their mission, he found that Siris too was more relaxed than usual. His mentor was nowhere to be seen. _It's not like you to leave your post so casually_. He looked around for any other soul in the room, he was alone. He walked over to the computer and noticed the data drive they had retrieved from before. Following a gut feeling, he booted up the drive and began seeping through the data.

"What is this?" Ken whispered upon accessing a previously unseen section of the data. _Siris never showed this to us_. He began to search through the folders and found a history of assassinations. One even had a video file attached to it. He scrolled the mouse over the file and double tapped on the mouse. A new window popped up with no audio. It was only video. He leaned in closer at the monitor unable to believe the people he saw. _Father…mother?_

They were walking together out on a public street in the middle of a night. The streets were empty as everyone lulled within the soothing dreams their sleep induced. The father seemed to have kept a keen eye out for some odd reason. He was always on the edge looking around, but only calmed down upon the mother's insistence. A shadowy figure jumped down quietly behind them. The mother and father continued to walk without notice, but only when the father was brought down to his knees, that the mother panicked and drew out a pistol. The father held his throat trying to stop the bleeding, and reach out for his wife. The assassin quickly stabbed through the pistol, effectively making it useless and held the mother by her throat.

The father was still alive enough to grab the assassin's feet. He seemingly tried to utter a few words of warning even in his powerless position, but the injury just wouldn't allow it. The assassin extended a wrist blade on his other arm. The mother's eyes widened. He pierced through the air. The mother gritted her teeth for the inevitable death lancing towards her. The knife stuck itself through the bottom of her mouth and up into her brain. Her arms shook and struggle as the colorful life from her eyes slowly turned grey. Her body went limp. The assassin let the body fall to the ground. He kicked off the father's grip and looked up towards the camera before shooting it out. The very last image captured was that of a familiar face. Ken squinted his eyes and sat back. _Is that Siris?_

He skimmed through the files of the deceased board members for Cradle of Hope. He could now confirm the identities of the two victims in the video as an absolute. _My parents were involved with the Cradle of Hope?_ He looked at the additional notes under their files. _And the assassin responsible was Mason Wu, Siris. This must have been when he was first caught by the government and given the offer to join_. Ken slumped back into the chair biting the bottom of his lip. "To think that my parents were murdered, and by Siris of all people. Oh, how cruel you are fate."

* * *

Siris poured himself a warm cup of coffee to the very edge of the cup and sipped a few drops. On a cold night like this, a warm drink was the best medicine for cold feet. He poured in some sugar for added taste and took another sip. _Tastes just right_. Siris picked up the cup and slowly exited the cafeteria. He stalked the quiet halls. Siris always marvelled at how quiet the halls could get when everyone else was asleep or resting. It was always a great time for him to think and let his mind be productive. Siris entered the main control room to find Ken sitting there in Siris' chair. "Well isn't this a surprise. Did you need something Ken?"

Chloe and Carolina walked up behind him. Siris smirked taking another sip of the coffee. "And here I thought that I was the only one up right now."

"I was accompanying Chloe on a little walk," Carolina answered as she motioned towards the young woman who found both her arms bound in a cast. Siris looked at his subordinate's condition and gave an understanding nod. "You did great out there Chloe, and you to Carolina."

He turned his attention back to Ken and looked up at the monitor upon being prompted to do so. He nearly dropped his cup of coffee and his eyes widened with surprise. _Why did he access that data disk again? Not to mention that this was not only against protocol but also that it doesn't make any sense_. Siris walked closer to the young man. _What reason could you possibly have?_ He stuffed one hand in the pocket to keep his nervous fidgeting from showing. "W- Why are you snooping around in this data Ken?"

Ken stood up and confronted his superior at eye level. "When were you going to tell me that you had a hand in killing my parents?"

Siris looked around uncomfortably. "Ken listen, that data is-"

"Don't try to say that the data is fake! I saw a video of you assassinating both my parents and on top of that, Cradle of Hope has detailed information on you."

Siris bowed his head momentarily. Ken took in a deep breath and calmed his tensed jaw. Siris could see the hurt in Ken's eyes. It was like the feeling of being betrayed by your very own parent. "I…I didn't know what I would say."

"You didn't know what you would say?!" Ken had it with the passive tone Siris wore on his voice. He was tired of the excuses. He stepped forward clenching his fists. Carolina stepped in between the two to stop him from getting physical. "Okay, that's enough. I don't know what's going on but let's not get too crazy here."

"Ken, I'm sorry," the mentor spoke with the shake of his head and pointed to the data. "But that, that was business, I mean I was only following orders!"

"Was hiding the truth from me part of your orders?! I deserved to know about my parents' death!"

"If you knew, then do you think that you would still be standing here?!"

"So that's what this was about," Ken nodded his head in disbelief. Even at times like this, people still showed their selfishness. "Well you know what? All of you can just fuck off."

* * *

Chloe tried to stop him but his easily pushed past her. Carolina chased after promising to ensure nothing happened to him. Carolina donned her armor and ran through the halls. By the time she exited the bunker, he was long gone and out of sight. "Great, where are you?"

"Got his signal," Church appeared beside her with a map display. Carolina looked his way, and with no need for words he understood her confusion. "Remember how I had hacked his gauntlet's computer before? I planted a trace in there."

"Nice!" she followed the moving dot through the cold and empty streets. The moon shone brightly through the thinly veiled clouds. The shadows were plentiful. The neon lights of the city were bright in the more active areas. Carolina used her jet to fly up to the roof of a tower. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop to make her travels easier and finally came across the blip on the map. Church changed the map display to 3D and showed her position in correlation to his. "You should find him on street level."

* * *

Sounds of fists melding against one another echoed up towards her. The grotesque noise of someone hitting the back of their spine against a wall pierced her ears. She jumped down with the aid of her jets and landed to find a sight full of anger. Hatred was strong within Ken right now. Carolina held her waist with one hand and tilted her head in slight disappointment. "Is this how you get your kicks in your free time, by bullying the weak?"

Ken kneed one in the nose, flipped him over and smashed the side of his face into the wall. He stopped to catch his breath and glared back at the armored soldier. "I try to keep it in moderation. Why are you here Carolina? If it's to crack jokes then I'm not in the mood."

"I promised Chloe that I will keep you out of trouble. Although it seems I was a little too late for that."

Ken wiped his now runny nose and looked up at the moon. _Bloody neon lights, they always corrupt the pure light that the moon shines_. He kicked one of the men beginning to stir on the ground back into submission. "Then I hope you are not here to give me a lecture either, because I hate those more than jokes at times like these."

He continued to beat some close to him, but was forcibly stopped by Carolina when she noticed the blood that etched itself onto his boots. The snow was painted crimson red, fog exited Ken's mouth as he noticed the product of his own rage. Carolina held him back and leaned in close. "I'm here to talk with you, to try and understand one another's grief."

 _One another's?_ Ken looked at her with a quizzical expression. She motioned for him to follow wanting for a change of scenery. The two landed on a rooftop. Carolina watched Ken sit down and get comfortable. The young man closed his eyes as his neck arched backwards with his head resting against the railings. Carolina slid down to the floor beside him. "You know, I don't want to say that I know exactly what you are going through because grief is different for every person. But I know the feeling of growing up without parents."

Such a bold statement caught his attention.

"My mother died when I was young. My father was still alive, but he became obsessed with his work after her death. It was almost as if he saw no one and nothing else of value in life. I was forced to grow up by myself. I didn't even have a sister like you do," Carolina closed her eyes only to see their faces flash in her mind. _Mom and dad, would you be happy with how I turned out?_ Carolina rested her head on her knees. "My father was killed due to circumstances you already know about. But it still hurt. Even though he was a terrible father, he still held some value thanks to our paternal relationship. Even after all of his imperfections, he still did his best to raise me all alone until the obsession with his work took hold of him completely."

Carolina paused to take a few short breaths. "I know that people feel anger at times like these, and I also know from experience that if that anger is used irresponsibly, then it can destroy you."

Ken shook his head slowly closing off his mind to her words. _So this is meant to be just another sappy speech_. But Carolina wanted for it to mean more than that. "Ken, you will never be able to move on unless you channel your anger properly and look for a way to forgiveness and understanding. You will just go into a destructive cycle of anger and hatred."

"Carolina," Ken stopped her from speaking anymore. He was quickly getting fed up with her sympathy stemming from lacking in knowledge. He respected her experiences and wisdom as his elder, but also knew that wisdom without knowledge of a person's circumstances means nothing more than hollow sympathy in the long run. "You already know why I am in the ATSG, I know Chloe made sure of that. I found _her_. I found my sister."

"That's great news," the female companion ecstatically replied happy for him. _At least something was going right amidst this trying time for him_. But he didn't seem or sound as happy as her. "Why the long face?"

"My sister…she is the current leader for Cradle of Hope," Ken let out a broken and a pathetic laughter. "Oh how cruel fate is. There must be someone out there laughing at this whole situation right now."

Carolina squirmed in her spot and sought advice from Church, but he simply shrugged. _Fat load of help that was_ , she thought as the orange haired woman turned to Ken and rested a hand on his shoulder. She gripped it gently and spoke with a warm and comforting voice to let him know that there was still hope. "If you can try and somehow get in touch with her, maybe you can still convince her otherwise. If you two can talk and come to a better understanding, she may be willing to choose another path than the one she is on. Show her the importance of a family being together. Show her the value in leaving behind this mess as just another chapter of the past in your lives. Maybe, just maybe things could get better for both of you then."

Ken reached inside one of his many pockets and pulled out a family photo. Carolina eyed his parents and sister. _In the photo they look so loving like any normal family_. Their smiles glowed brighter than the sun itself, and their eyes radiated the sense of security and kindness any child would want in their parents. Ken gripped the edges until they crumpled a little. Carolina slowly moved her hand onto his to calm him when she noticed his stressed face. His eyes quickly became blank, she could read nothing out of them and that became concerning to her. He was like an unpredictable being now. "My family really is messed up. Because of this fucking terrorist organization, and the government, we were all torn and broken apart."

He breathed in deeply as he loosened his hold on the photo. Slowly it fell onto the thin layer of snow beneath them. "I can't forgive Siris or the god damned government for this lie, at least not right now."

"But if you don't learn to forgive, can you bear to be in the same room with him?"

"I said I can't forgive him right now," Ken placed great emphasis on the words 'right now'. He picked up the photo and brushed off the snow. "I know that I won't be able to do anything without the government's nor the ATSG's assistance. If I want to end this and somehow fix everything, then I will need to see this job through to the end. But after that, I'm through with helping the bloody government."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the deep reaches of space travelled the Blood Gulch crew on their valiant mission. But there seemed to be bumping into more hiccups along the way than they expected, namely the lack of direction of where to start from. Washington was growing irritated with this as it made him feel stale, and his efforts wasted. The others however did not let this bother them too much. They always went about their time as they would on Blood Gulch.

"This is an outrage!" Grif shouted in the cafeteria.

"Here we go again," Tucker moaned as he rested his head on his right hand facing the scene of comical confrontation. Simmons was visibly annoyed at the loud noises. "Keep it down will you dumbass?"

"Simmons can you believe this guy here? I am no longer allowed to access the pudding pantry because I have been apparently eating too much of it."

"Well it's true," the chef crossed his arms and made an absolute stand. "If you keep on eating at this pace, then we won't have any for emergency rations left either."

"But Muffins said I could eat it all I want to!"

"Just drop it already Grif," Simmons noted pointing to the orange soldier's belly. "You have put on more weight again haven't you?"

"Um…no…."

"Lay off the pudding fatty."

"Lay of the pudding, how can you speak such heresy Simmons?!"

"Don't you worry Grif, I'm baking a fresh batch of cinnamon buns," Donut stuck his head out from the kitchen with a cook's hat on his helmet. "We can share some as we all eat together!"

"It's just not the same as pudding," the overweight soldier mumbled under his breath like a child. Sarge walked onto the scene speaking in a gruff voice. "What are you numb nuts blabbering on about here?"

"Just Grif throwing another one of his hissy fits sir," Simmons reported with a straight posture showing the respect Sarge asked of his troops. Sarge took out his shotgun and pulled back on the fore-end. "Well stop it, Wash's called for an emergency meeting. He wants everyone to gather on the bridge."

"Yes sir, let's go Grif!" Simmons dragged the orange soldier away who so desperately stretched out his arms screaming. "Don't you worry my pudding, I shall be back for you!"

* * *

 **A/N: Will Grif ever get his pudding? I mean he does seem very desperate for it doesn't he? :P**

 **A little bit more development for Ken's back story. But that is one messed up family indeed. Next chapter will be solely focused on the Blood Gulch crew with a little surprise in there.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read and support this story, I appreciate it!**

 **~ Monty**


	14. SOS

**Chapter 13: S.O.S**

"Is everyone here?" Washington looked around the circle of his gathered allies. He crossed his arms and let out a heavy sigh. It was a sign that the discussion was going to be heavy. "So I have gathered you all here to discuss our next move."

"Our next move, did we even make our first move to begin with?" Grif asked earning several agreeable nods all around. Washington was inclined to agree to a certain degree as well. "Then let's call it our first move. The important thing is that we need to come up with a plan. Right now we are just floating through space blindly."

"I gotta agree with that point," noted Sarge as he looked out the windows. "But it isn't so bad."

"If that were our objective," Wash contested as he pressed a few buttons on the holographic display table. "Guys, we need ideas on how to gather the support required to combat Cradle of Hope."

"How about just asking Junior in the alien embassy?" Tucker suggested initially earning several nods all around. But Washington saw this from another perspective. "That won't work."

"Why not?"

"You haven't thought about the political consequences have you?" Wash inquired only to earn silence. He knew he was right. "Imagine if an alien fleet comes into Earth's atmosphere without any prior warning. Not only would it destabilize relations between races but also falsely lead governments on Earth to see it as a sign of aggression."

"Ja I see now," Muffins agreed with the bob of his head. "Undocumented aliens coming to Earth can be seen as a sign of terror which could spark another war."

"Exactly, this is a problem for humans to deal with," Washington affirmed their predicament once again. "We can't rely on outside help other than human colonies perhaps."

"How about try talking to them with a nice gift of candy apples?" Donut asked only to get questionable stares. Lopez remained quiet watching the 'monkeys' work out a solution to this problem. He knew he had a sensible answer, but he also understood that he would be misunderstood only leading to further frustration which he wanted to avoid. Sarge rubbed the back of his helmet and looked intently at the holographic projector of the enemy numbers. "How about placing a call to 1-800 Vengeance?"

"I need some serious answers here guys," Wash admitted with a tired voice. Tucker just laughed it off. "Dude, when ever have we given serious answers? We just tend to wing it, it's how we roll."

Washington let out another heavy breath and closed shut his eyes. _Think Wash, where can we go to even the playing field?_ It was then that his head jerked upwards with an ah-ha moment. "What if we go to Chorus?"

Everyone in the meeting but Muffins was shocked at the idea. Just hearing the planet's name brought back the memories of the betrayal, sacrifices and the corruption known as 'Malcolm Hargrove' they rooted out. Everyone went quiet with the exception of Muffins who was understandably confused at the change in atmosphere. Washington nodded his head taking their silence as an agreement to the plan. "Then Chorus it is. They may be rebuilding over there, but they are as good a starting point as any given our current position."

* * *

Bep! Bep! Bep!

Everyone turned their attention to the communications panel on the bridge. The operator worked fast to answer the hail. "Captain Muffins, we seem to be picking up a S.O.S signal from the nearby ice planet."

"What does it say my cute communications man?"

"Erm…it's encrypted so we are working on it sir," the soldier replied shifting uncomfortably in their seat as they leaned away from Muffins' direction.

"Who the hell encrypts a S.O.S message? That's stupid!" Grif said thinking who else besides his sister would be dumb enough to do something like that. Washington walked over to the soldier and leaned in close to the monitor. "Does the UNSC database have any information on this planet?"

"No sir."

"This is seriously like something out of a horror flick, like that movie 'Alien'," Tucker noted with the uncomfortable thought of becoming impregnated yet again by another alien. "I say we ignore it and get the fuck out of here."

"I second that," Grif raised his hand wondering when he can get back to demanding his pudding.

"But what if it's new friends waiting for us down there?" Caboose inquired n an innocent tone. Everyone looked at him and envied the mindlessness of this blue soldier. _Oh how easy and simple life must be as Caboose_. The communication soldier just then informed everyone that the message finished decrypting. Wash looked back to the soldier and motioned towards the keyboard. "Play it."

"…Hello, can anyone hear me? My name is…we are trapped on some ice planet…help…we need help!"

Just before the message finished Wash heard something familiar, but strange. "…Hey, top five things you want to do once you are rescued, go!"

 _Those voices, I'm sure I have heard them somewhere before_. He looked at the monitor deep in contemplation. The feeling of familiarity persisted, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Muffins ordered for a small crew to be dispatched via a Pelican to the source of the signal. Washington felt eager to go as well. He figured it would be a good change from being stuck on the spaceship.

* * *

The pelican launched. The crew inside held onto the safety bars tightly upon turbulence from entering the planet's stratosphere. The pilot flicked a few switches as breaking past the stratosphere. They began running scans for heat signatures. "Jesus, how could have anything survived out here? It's all snow and ice."

As the pelican stabilized, Wash undid his safety restraints and walked into the cockpit. "Do you have a fix on their location?"

"This cold weather isn't great for our equipment, so it will take some time."

Washington walked back into the seating area. He took out his rifle and studied it to ensure it was up to par. The other soldiers were equally as anxious as him to find out those responsible for the message. They only hoped that they were in time to meet such individuals. The Pilot got a reading on their scanners. "Heads up, I have something here. We are going down."

The pelican landed with a gentle bump from the shock absorbers. The bay door opened and the pilot exited the cockpit. "Alright boys, lock and load. Make sure your helmets are on snug and tight. You don't want any heat escaping."

"Yes mom," one of the soldiers said with an exaggerated voice earning some chuckles. The pilot did not find it amusing. "So you are a funny guy eh? Maybe I should leave you here when the job is done, then you can crack all the jokes you want to."

"Alright, everyone on me," Wash was the first to exit leading the expedition. They noticed a large base. The lights were lit up. _I guess that answers how people would survive down here_. Washington told the others to be on guard and be ready for anything. They have no prior knowledge of this planet and are essentially going in blind. They climbed over a bank of snow to the metal surface of the base. "Keep an eye on your scanners."

Washington motioned for two from the group to lead the charge into two sides of the base. The two went ahead for recon work. But as soon as they stepped into the base, one noticed music. It was someone singing very poorly. So poorly in fact that they just wanted to rip their own ears out. "Um Agent Washington, we have picked up three people on our scanners."

"Understood, we are on our way."

* * *

Wash led half the group into the base, while the other half went into the other side of the base. Wash noticed the armor signatures. _These are similar to Project Freelancer's. No way, it couldn't be them_. Suddenly he heard an explosion and the frustrated cries of a woman coming from what looked like a kitchen. "God dammit Iowa, how do you even blow up the microwave from just touching it? And that's the third time today!"

 _Iowa?_ Wash rushed into the kitchen with his gun raised. "Freeze!"

"Ah, we surrender!" shouted Iowa curling up into a ball on the floor. Washington lowered his gun and motioned for the others to do the same. "Iowa, as in the ones from Project Freelancer?"

"Wait, Agent Washington? Oh cool you changed your armor color. Blue for the win." Ohio stated both relieved and happy to see another face in a very long time. Wash instantly recognized Ohio and was shocked to see them alive after all this time. "How is it that you guys are still in your armor, I thought you dropped out?"

"Dropped out? Is that what they told you?" Ohio stated with an irate tone. "Typical, never trust the higher ups, they are almost always dicks."

"Ah hah, surprise motherfucker!" Idaho screamed jumping down from the ceiling towards Wash. But before he could get the upper hand, the ex-freelancer agent side stepped his assailant. Idaho landed with a loud crack to his legs. Ohio squirmed in her spot. "Ouch…are you okay Idaho?"

"Uh yeah, I'm alright," he spoke locked in his bent position. "Except I can't really feel my kneecaps, is that normal?"

"Probably not," Washington remarked. "But then again, knowing you Idaho, it probably is for you."

"Oh hey Wash!" Idaho suddenly stood up with his kneecaps suddenly snapping. _D- Did they just snap back into place on their own?_ Wash pondered. _That should not be physically possible_. Iowa walked up to the rescue party and asked. "So I guess you guys heard our message?"

"That we did," one of the party members replied. Wash stepped away from the group upon receiving a transmission from the other half of the rescue party. "Sir, we have three individuals here who tried to ambush us upon entry. They apparently claim to be with three more individuals."

"Ohio," Wash motioned for her to come closer. "You wouldn't happen to have three more people in this base would you?"

"Yeah, they are ex-Charon soldiers who were dumped off here just like we were."

"They are not hostiles," Wash answered to the other team. "Bring them over here."

"Yes sir."

"Oh hey, I just thought of another one," Idaho slowly stumbled his way to a nearby table for support. "List five things that you to eat for dinner once we get out of here?"

"Well eating anything besides ice spiders and not sucking on icicles would be a good start," Ohio retorted. Iowa suddenly became alert. "Ice spiders? Where are they?"

"Hah…they are not here Iowa, I was just making a point about our eating habits."

"Wait," Iowa suddenly dropped his head deep in thought and felt his stomach act up. "You told me those were really skinny ice tigers."

"Uh yeah," Ohio back peddled to Idaho and whispered. "Help me out here."

"I got nothing."

"Great, appreciate the team effort there Idaho."

* * *

"Ohio!" one of the ex-Charon soldiers came rushing in. It was a female and seemed to be the leader of the group. "Are you okay, they didn't do anything to you did they?"

"Girl please," Ohio joked in an aloof voice. "They wouldn't be able to do anything even if they wanted."

"Right, you have a feather on standby for Iowa," the woman responded smugly. She turned to face Washington and the rest of the rescue party. She seemed a little tense. However Ohio was quickly able to put her at ease. "Sherry, Darryl and Terrill, let me introduce you two to Agent Washington. He is from Project Freelancer just like me."

"Was from Project Freelancer," corrected Wash as he explained the events that transpired and the fate that befell the project. The triplets looked at one another and for once slowly began to gain a greater appreciation for being abandoned. The Charon soldiers were also shocked to learn of the fate that befell its CEO. "Once the project was disbanded, I guess you can say I found a new family in the Reds and Blues who accepted me and chose to stick with me."

"You mean the simulation troopers?" Iowa inquired.

"Yeah, some of the worst soldiers right?" Idaho added earning a nod. But also a counter point to their remarks. Washington had experienced their teamwork and conviction first hand and if anything, since then he had always questioned the worth of skills alone over teamwork. No matter the situation, they always found a way to come out on top. "These guys are different. They are not your conventional soldiers, but they are the type who will get things done together."

"Kind of like us in a sense I guess," Sherry said looking around to her comrades. She stood especially close to Ohio who didn't seem to mind it. Wash found it somewhat strange but didn't pay too much attention to it since Ohio was visibly comfortable with the physical contact they were having. He motioned out the base. "We have a spaceship. You are all welcomed aboard it."

"Oh sweet, kick ass!" Darryl replied ecstatically. Their team didn't exactly have many options dropping by every day. Hence they took whatever he had to offer. Terrill turned around to head to their side of the base. "Let me go pack up the booze for the journey. A man's got to keep his throat satiated after all."

"Hold your horses," Washington stopped everyone in their tracks as they faced him. Sherry immediately took notice of the serious posture he had and nudged the others to stand completely still. "We can take you on board but expect to be involved in fighting. We are on a mission for which we can explain the details to you later. But expect there to be conflicts in which you will be involved in."

"What kind of conflict?" Iowa questioned looking around apprehensively at his teammates' skills. Wash thought of the best way to say this, but honesty was the best policy to let people make informed decisions. "War."

Without a second though, they were all onboard. Idaho raised his rifle and looked around. "Yeah, I can't wait to finally shoot stuff again."

"You mean miss like you did with the practice dummies?" Ohio jabbed at him much to his chagrin. But he could never bring himself to argue back against her. The others giggled under their helmets only to earn scornful looks from Idaho. "Laugh it up. Let's see how the rest of you do when we get down to the battlefield."

"Oh um, I'm sure we will be fine…I hope," Sherry noted looking away with the tap of her foot. Wash motioned for the group to follow him back to the pelican. Everyone fastened into the seats. Wash noticed how close Sherry and Ohio seemed as the two held hands. _I guess time changes everyone, even these guys_. The pelican took off with the shake of its hull. The nose of the ship rose up in the air and blasted off into the atmosphere. They broke through the stratosphere until the spaceship was finally in sight. Washington looked to the new crew and said. "Welcome to the Blood Gulch Crew."

* * *

 **A/N: So how was that for a surprise?**

 **I'm guessing some of you weren't expecting the triplets and Charon soldiers to make a cameo appearance in this story now were you? :)**

 **How was the chapter overall?**

 **Thank you reader for your time and support!**

 **~ Monty**


	15. Blood Doesn't Define Family

**Chapter 14: Blood Doesn't Define Family**

"Happy Birthday, Alexavier! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" so many voices sung the familiar tune of a memory. He was surrounded by his parents. _How are you alive?_ His sister was sitting beside him, clapping happily to the song. What's going on? She reached down below the table and held out a present for him. "Happy Birthday little brother!"

He cupped the neatly wrapped box with his hands. It was light, but filled with the familiar feelings of love the two siblings shared as a family. The parents waited for the child to blow out the candles. _This is my birthday party_. With the gentle breeze of his whistle, He blew out the candles and sat back to hear the excited clapping of everyone in the room. This was the most ideal and yearned situation. Aria leaned in close to give him a hug and slipped in something into his pocket. Only after they parted he took notice of the object.

It was a movie ticket. She winked his way quietly showing another ticket to the same movie. The parents were none the wiser, it was to be just the time alone for the siblings. He smiled looking forward to it. No matter how tough things got or how strained things became between the siblings, they would always be there for one another. But such happiness seemed hollow at best. It was unreal. The candles on the cake suddenly lit up again. The wax began to melt at a dramatic pace.

The fire spread from the cake and onto the table. It crept up to its surroundings, and melted those around the boy. They began to drip down into the void of emptiness. What was left inside of the feeling he felt now was emptiness. The lonely boy gazed at the destruction around him. The bones of his family lay at his feet. His hand shook as he reached out petrified. _My family…no, I know this is a dream. Wake up, wake up, wake up!_

* * *

The ceiling was blurred. His eyes felt moisture. He blinked once and felt water run down his face. Ken sat up and rubbed the side of his face. _A tear?_ He wiped his eyes clean and stood up. _Is it that time of the year again?_ He wondered recalling every other year where these memories would resurface leaving an everlasting psychological impact on him. He got out of the bed and walked over to his desk. Ken slid open a drawer and took out a metal box. As he opened the box, the vault of memories burst open flooding him with emotions of happiness, sadness and anger of the various times with his family.

Ken swung open the lid and found a locket inside. _Heh, this was the locket I gave to her for her eighteenth birthday, before she went missing. Why, just why did you get involved with them sis?_ He sat down deep in thought. _I know we will meet again, but what will I say to you then? How can I even bring you back to the place where it was just the two of us, happy together as a family?_

He clutched the locket tightly and rested his forehead against his hands. _Things can never go back to being the same. But surely there must be some way to fix our fucked up family_. He eyed the wrist blades resting on his desk that he kept with him at all times. _If she really is the organization leader, then it may prove to be more difficult than I initially thought it to be_. Ken gently placed the locket by his side and breathed out a heavy sigh. _Oh how I wish for a normal life. Once all of this is over, I'm going to quit all of this and live a normal life…I only hope that you are by my side when that time comes sister_.

Ken stored the locket into the box and stared at a photo of him and his sister inside. He gently brushed a finger over his sister's face and wondered. _Did Siris always know about her being the leader of our enemy? If so, was he keeping this a secret just to keep me on their side all along or was this orchestrated by a higher force than him?_

* * *

"Is that a box of memories?"

Her voice awakened him from his thoughts. He eyed to his left towards the door frame in which stood the orange haired woman.

"You like sneaking up on people?"

"Not particularly."

"Then I hope you don't make a habit out of it," Ken noted nearly shutting the box. But he was stopped by the sudden approach of Carolina. She eyed the photo inside and slowly took it out. "Is this a photo of your sister and you on a vacation perhaps?"

"It may be."

Carolina squinted her eyes to get a better look at Aria. _Now that I think about it, even though she is young, she looks somewhat similar to me_. Carolina in annoyance brushed her hair to the side. A habit she has never been able to rectify. She preferred to have a clear line of sight when concentrating intensely. The assassin beamed a grin towards her. Carolina looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"My sister, she had the same habit as you. She would get annoyed similarly and brush away stray strands of hair," he closed his eyes and remembered a similar memory with her. He smiled up at the ceiling and imagined his sister carrying out the custom on numerous occasions. Carolina however was not yet done with her questions. She wrapped her arms around one another and stared at him until he was sitting upright again, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. "You know Ken. I caught wind of a rather interesting rumour as of late."

"And what would that be?"

"That you might not have brought me into ATSG for purely professional reasons, that there may be something more to this than you are letting on."

Ken nearly lost composure, but as soon as his eyes widened to hear the words, he quickly composed himself. "Where did you hear that, was it Chloe?"

"Well we have been spending a lot of time together since I accompany her most due to her injury."

"Great, I will have to have a word with her later," he snickered under his breath and then faced the older woman. "Look, it's true that I didn't bring you here purely out of professional obligations to ensure the success of our mission."

He motioned towards her face and with a reminiscent tone said. "When I first placed that trace on you and followed you, and when I first saw you out of your armor I was captivated. It was like, my sister had returned. You look very much like her, so much so that it can be scary talking to you face to face sometimes."

"But-"

"But reality is different, I know," he interrupted calming his voice. "However, personal reasons aside, I still did have a professional stake in this. While I admit to thinking about you as someone similar to my sister, I also acknowledge your skills needed to bring down the enemy."

Carolina walked with gentle steps and sat by his side. She looked down to his level, but he kept his gaze fixated on the ground. The slowly turned his chin towards her and offered an understanding smile. "I know that feeling of wanting your family back. I still want my father and mother back, but I also have come to make peace with their deaths. Your sister is a unique individual. I can never be a replacement for her. I can't be that same exact sister that she is to you."

"I know," he jerked up and his eyes gave her the determination she wanted to see in him once again. "I know that every person is unique. I never meant for you to be a replacement, sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for anything," Carolina gently bumped his arm with her fist. "You already understand what is real and what isn't. I can be only me. In doing so I can also be there to lend you an open ear for whenever you need to talk to someone."

She stood up at the understanding and thankful nod from Ken. But she stopped midway at the doorway and turned back around. "Have you made up with Siris yet?"

"We both agreed that was a complicated matter," Ken rebuffed with the gentle shake of his head. She gently bumped him on the head with a sigh. "Don't put this off Ken. The longer you do, the more it will affect the overall team dynamics in the grand scheme of things."

"Then why don't you tell me what to say to the man who killed my parents?" Ken rubbed the spot she bumped him on as she was deep in thought. "Be truthful with one another. Like I said before, try to talk and understand one another."

She then left him to his own thoughts. _Try to understand him. But to do that, how should I even start talking with him? Do I just go up to him and start talking like I used to before, can I even do that now?_ He watched his shaking hands from the subtly raising anger. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "On one hand there is this feeling of wanting revenge, but then there is the feeling to have things to back to the way things were…even if it won't be completely same, fuck."

* * *

Siris sat in the main control room eyeing a ring he played with in between his fingers. The name engravings made him quietly smile. _They were indeed good times, times that are now gone past_. He rested the ring by its side on the desk and spun it to watch in a hypnotic manner. He stopped the ring upon hearing new footsteps. The object fell to the desk wobbling about from side to side. Carolina walked in to the notice of Siris who gave her a welcoming nod. "Anything I can do for you?"

"I was wondering if I could help with any jobs," she inquired noticing him storing away the ring. He seemed very protective of it, and handled it with care. _It must mean a great deal to him_. Siris looked around for any tasks that needed to be completed. "Honestly I got nothing. But I was about to go out on patrol. If you want, you are welcomed to join me."

"You don't usually head out on these sorts of things do you?"

"Nope," he stood up and stretched his body. "But I figured with everything that's been happening, everyone else deserves to rest for as long as they can. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. I need everyone in their top form. Plus this gives me a nice excuse to get out of the bunker and get some fresh air."

Carolina took him up on his offer and quickly got ready in her armor. The two were off to patrol the nearby area of the bunker. Siris ran ahead of Carolina on their route. "Keep an eye out for anything and anyone suspicious."

Their patrol went smoothly, however nearing its end Siris had a request to make of Carolina. "You don't mind if we take a detour do you?"

"A detour?"

"Well I want to go somewhere before heading back down into the bunker. I don't get many opportunities to."

"Sure."

"Thanks," he once again led the way jumping from rooftop to rooftop with the help of their jets. He landed firmly onto the floor beneath him and perched near the edge. Carolina bent down behind him and followed his stare into the apartment in the opposite building. It was a neatly kept apartment, there were two women inside. One was clearly older than the other who seemed like the mother. Siris reached into his pocket and clenched the ring. _At least they are doing well_. He could feel his emotional defenses slowly lowering at the sight of the young girl having grown up so much.

* * *

"Who are they?" she asked. He looked back from the side of his eye and back towards the women. "The ar- were my family."

"Were?"

Siris held out his marriage ring and dropped it in Carolina's hand for study. "My wife left me when my daughter was two years old at the time. God, to see her grown up now in her early teens is quite something."

"You didn't see your family up till now?"

"I do from time to time," he took back the ring and stared at it with some sadness in his eyes. "But I can never get close to them. I can never again reach out to my daughter, to touch my own flesh and blood. To be the father I always wanted to be."

"Why not?"

"My wife…she has warned me to stay away from them both," Siris lowered his head in shame. "She left me and issued this legal warning after she found out about my not so legit work life. I suppose even she has her honor when it comes to remaining clean."

Carolina sat up straight now curious at what Siris did that made his money illegal. He could tell this sudden change in her and sat back. "I can see that you want to hear the story. Since we have the time, why don't I indulge you for a bit?"

"That would be appreciated," Carolina smiled under her helmet with a nod. Siris looked up at the sky and took in a deep breath. "Originally I wasn't doing anything illegal. It was mostly with me engaging in small time jobs like bounty contracts. Soon I moved up to more dangerous bounties, which is where I had met Locus and Felix. But that was too good to be true. Thing were changing and that killed off my options for legitimate means of earning money with doing what I knew how to do best."

"What changed so much that forced you to consider other methods of earning money?"

"The new government's regulations in regards to bounties changed things for us mercenaries making a living off of these prizes. The bounty hunting business died out and it was only the police that could handle these dangerous criminals. Other means of earning money as a mercenary were also dried up thanks to everything becoming standardized and legal laws becoming even stricter. I wasn't exactly the best prospect for hire, especially since I didn't really have higher education."

"Really? I figured that you would have gone to university and what not."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well you are very smart."

"Heh," Siris grinned in acknowledgement. "Get yourself a warm cup of coffee, a book on subjects that interest you and even you will be surprised by what you can learn. Knowledge doesn't always have to come from an educational institute."

"So as I was saying," Siris cleared his throat and continued. "The bounty business was dried up. I couldn't just change my line so easily and I had a family to feed. I had no choice but to turn to robberies. It was small at first, but the payoff was good. But as things escalated, the risks increased as well and eventually we had our first accidental death."

"Accidental?"

"Yes, accidental," Siris affirmed with a stern voice. "We never intended to kill anyone ever. We would go in, rob the store and run free. But one time we were caught, and in our panic one of our partners shot the person. I can still remember them lying there in their own puddle of blood, lifeless like all the joy had been sucked out of their body."

"Did the killings continue?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he replied with lowering his head. "We became more comfortable with the prospect of killing the innocent to cover our tracks. But eventually it started to build up a noticeable body count, one large enough to leave a trail behind. Those murders made my past, one which I was caught and convicted for. It was at that time my wife left me and warned me to stay away from them."

"Do you ever wish to talk to your daughter?"

"Of course I do," Siris answered with a blunt tone. "Any caring and sane parent put in this situation would feel the same. Some things in life can't be fixed just by talking. All these years apart from her can't be fixed with some words alone. I'm sure to her I would just be another stranger now."

"Just like with Ken," Carolina said nearly in a whisper catching Siris' eye. He looked back towards the apartment with a heavy breath. "I think I know where this is going."

"If you know where this is going, then you should also understand the value in my words," Carolina argued doing her best to maintain his interest. "Hate and big mistakes in life can create a huge rift between people. The only thing that can possibly close that rift is talking to one another, enduring through those times together to achieve a mutual understanding."

"Look Carolina," he clenched his fists carefully considering his argument. "I understand what you are saying but you also have to remember that I was a soldier at that time. I followed orders, but I also personally thought I was doing the right thing. If the parents were to still be alive, who knows how much stronger the organization would have been by now. If only had I known that it was the child of the parents I murdered that ATSG accepted, then I would have probably divulged these secrets to him long ago."

Carolina agreed with his words to a certain extent. "But the matter with Ken losing his parents is not a matter of believing in your mission. It is a matter of keeping inner conflicts from growing any further. It is also a matter of getting Ken to understand your point of view while remaining open to his. Only once you talk to one another and understand, can we at ATSG again achieve unity like we had before."

Siris agreed to her words and stated. "You know, I had always intended on telling Ken after I found out myself. I guess I was just waiting for the right moment. But in the end I couldn't do it, perhaps because I was afraid of our relationship becoming strained like it is now."

Carolina patiently waited for Siris to gather his thoughts. "Or perhaps I was afraid of losing the only place I have in Ken's life as his mentor. So I kept it quiet until the truth decided to speak up for itself."

Throughout these words, she could see the pain in his eyes. It was very similar to the one her father had when he was at the end of his life. "Do you think of Ken as an adopted son?"

"What makes you say that?" he inquired waving his hand around. "I simply took him under my wing for training. I needed to in the event we required a successor to take charge in my place. But through our time together, it felt like I had gained a son."

Siris let out a hearty smile remembering all the times he scolded the boy. "Spending all of these years with him gave me the opportunity to feel like a father again. The desire to raise a child was in a sense being fulfilled through Ken I suppose. In that regard, he did kind of become like my son."

The man rested one hand on his knee and leaned back with the other. His eyes faced up towards the darkened skies. "I suppose that this was inevitable. After all, no matter how much I may think of it, he and I don't have any blood relations that could actually tie us together."

"Family isn't defined by blood, but by the bonds we make with others," Carolina recited earning a questionable look from her partner. "Your bond with Ken is stronger than you think. If it wasn't, then I'm sure Ken would have left long ago and try to find Aria on his own. There is still a chance to repair the damage by understanding one another. Show one another just how strong your bond is with him. Just because he isn't your 'son' by blood can't make him one through bond."

"I appreciate the kind words Carolina, but our trust can never go back to being as it was before."

"No it can't," she confirmed. "Nothing can ever go back to being exactly the same. That's life. The past will always remain in the past. The things that have gone past are gone for good. But as people only dong our best to survive, we have to learn to live with that. We have to learn to live in the present while being mindful of our mistakes from the past so that we don't repeat them. Our past doesn't define us. It just gives us the starting point for who we are going to be. We are always in control to be the type of person we want to be."

Siris let out a gentle laughter at the mouthful Carolina laid on him. He nodded his head deep in thought. _Our past doesn't define us. That is quite the saying_. He stood up and stretched his neck. A satisfying crack echoed from his neck. Carolina stood up behind him and followed him off the rooftop. "So try your best to finally make up with him?"

"Yeah, but time will also tell how this works out," Siris noted before smirking and looking back with a firm belief. "You know Carolina, you say some really wise things."

She chortled at the compliment and thanked the man as the two returned to the bunker to carry out their other tasks.

* * *

 **A/N: Another more or less a development type of chapter. I focused on Siris quite a bit and decided to give him a back story in regards to his family with the intention of giving him more depth. I hope the effect was present as you were reading.**

 **I also want to say that I may not update for a week or two perhaps. I need a break. I feel like I'm burning out here and that is never good for the excitement and passion for the story. This rest will give me the time to once again feel that brimming excitement I felt at the beginning of this fan-fiction hopefully, and that will definitely be a good thing.**

 **Thank you for reading this story so far and supporting it!**

 **Constructive feedback is always welcomed.**

 **Catch you all after my break.**

 **~ Monty**


	16. Tip

**Chapter 15: Tip**

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ding!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ding!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ding!

Washington walked behind every soldier as they finished nailing their target. The accuracy of Muffins' soldiers was on point. However Wash wished he could say the same for the Reds, Blues and their newly acquired forces. He watched Idaho and Iowa miss nearly every shot. The Reds and the Blues didn't manage to hit even one bullet on their target dummies thus far without the assistance of their AI fragment partners. Washington lowered his head with the awareness that he had his work cut out for him.

Sarge fired a shotgun for the twentieth time still unable to nail his target. Washington walked up close beside the man and asked. "Sarge, why are you using a shotgun in a long range firing practice?"

"What else you use?"

"Um…how about the standard assault rifle?" Simmons interjected. Sarge gave them both a look of disgust and corked back the barrel of his weapon. "That's just ridiculous. It has been proven time and time again that range doesn't matter. My baby here can hit anything no matter the distance."

"Yeah, but only with Grif sir," Simmons corrected with Wash wondering, _how is that even possible? Ugh never mind, I should expect these sorts of things by now_. Grif suddenly jerked his head upwards looking around alarmed. "Did someone just say my name and the word shotgun in the same sentence?!"

He found the barrel of Sarge's shotgun pointed his way. "Um…I don't feel well all of a sudden. I think I will go now."

"Oh no you don't," Wash stepped in the orange soldier's way. "You may have been able to get out of target practice on Chorus, but not here."

"You do realize that the moment you look away I'm just going to go back to slacking off again right?"

"And how will you do that?"

Grif suddenly slouched and his head lowered towards the ground. Washington stared from side to side and looked back at the orange soldier. _What's that noise I hear?_ Wash leaned in a little closer and he could hear the evident noise of snoring. Grif was asleep. "How do you even fall asleep standing up?!"

"Hey, we don't judge you for the weird things you do Wash," Tucker spoke up annoyed from missing his shots. "Plus, if Grif is not sleeping, he is usually whining. So it's better this way bro."

Caboose fired his rifle to hit everything else in his sight but the target. "Ah um yeah, I totally hit it…I yeah…"

"Caboose, you see that target in the middle of all the bullet holes?" Tucker pointed the blue soldier's rifle in the correct direction. "He is your friend. You should totally _help_ him."

"Oh, I love helping!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ding! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Caboose, that's enough!" Wash shouted silencing his comrade. Caboose looked at the target, it was completely obliterated. "Um…I tried helping him but he didn't like it. Just to be clear, that was not my fault. Right, Freckles?"

"Yes, Captain Caboose."

"It's alright, that happens to me to," Iowa sympathized patting Caboose on the back.

"And don't you just hate it when they ask for help and then they say they don't need it anymore? It happens to me often."

"Me to," Iowa agreed bobbing his head up and down. "I like you Caboose, want to hang out later?"

"Okay, but just so you know, my best friend spot is taken."

Washington growled in frustration. "Ugh, someone just kill me already."

"I can do that," Sarge pointed his shotgun towards Wash. "One less blue to worry about and you get what you want. It's a win-win situation for everyone."

"Not for us it isn't," Tucker interrupted as he explained. "I mean, how else are we going to get your flag everytime and make you embarrass yourselves in front of us and anyone else watching?"

"But you stole the flag all on your own once before," said Simmons. Tucker cupped his chin in his hand and nodded his head. "Oh yeah, that was badass of me."

In the corner of the room were Sherry and Ohio, standing with their arms crossed and amused at the entertainment playing out before them. Sherry nudged Ohio on the hip. "We have a lot of free time, don't we?"

"Yes we do."

"How about making productive use of that time?"

"Okay, what do you have in mind?"

"Oh you know…"

"I think I know where this is going," Ohio answered with a cautious voice. Sherry slowly slithered her arm around Ohio's waist and pulled her closer. "Then let's get to the _good part_ already."

"How is it that ever since we first met, you have been getting naughtier by the day?" Ohio questioned being pulled away by Sherry into their humble abode.

* * *

Creed studied various operational reports of their organization with a keen eye. To his right in a brightly lit room, surrounded by computers was the only remaining advisor of the organization, a man who detested Creed's entry into Cradle of Hope ever since the day they met. The General sifted through the various windows of their application and noticed the decrease in efficiency. He rang up one of their highly ranked operations manager and made a quick yet stern warning to increase these numbers. He turned to face the advisor who went by the name of Adrian. "What is the status on the other Generals and our leader?"

"Worried about your trainees? That's cute," Adrian answered, Creed simply scoffed at the humorless voice. "Just give me the damn update Adrian."

"Their status is stable," he replied knowing just how much he could stretch Creed's patience before even he started feeling threatened by the man's presence. "Should the plan ever need to be accelerated for whatever reason, they are ready to be awakened at a moment's notice."

"Good-"

"But we should have no need to accelerate the plan considering how things have been going to plan."

"Are you trying to be coy?" Creed asked irritated by Adrian's aloof and insulting tone. "The plan will need to be accelerated."

The advisor shook his shoulders with his arms up in a defensive manner. It was a sign of quickly losing interest in arguing this any further. He crossed his arms and watched the General work. "I don't think you have ever told this to anyone but our leader. However it is quite curious. Why did you give up your successful career in the UNSC military and come down to our level?"

"Our level?" he eyed Adrian who simply shot a smug look. _If only your role was not as important, I would have done away with you a long time ago_. Creed let out a deep contemplative breath and said. "I have always been somewhat of a philosopher and an activist for environmental protection."

"You don't say," Adrian noted with a deep rooted sense of mockery in his voice. Creed simply ignored the bait to rile him up and continued. "Having been stationed on multiple planets, I saw the level of disregard humans showed for the mining planets. They would suck them dry until there was nothing left and move on like parasites, it was…disgusting. I didn't think that this organization had evolved beyond just environmental protection initially, but I was still determined to do what I believed in to bring back balance to the universe. And yes, I was determined enough that I would even consciously choose to be labelled a terrorist."

"So the big man finally felt like sharing."

"Don't push it Adrian!" Creed pointed a finger towards his conversation partner who held up his hands high. "Anyways, I might have an idea of how to take care of our little government problem. We may be able to crush them in one quick swoop."

"Okay…you have my attention. How pray tell will we do that?"

"We send in a tip to them with added video footage of where our 'leader' is," Creed explained, Adrian could see where this plan maybe going. But even he had chocked a little when Creed started his explanation. At this point he had questioned if he had lost it or not. Creed however maintained course to complete his explanation. "The location won't be of our leader's location but a dummy one, preferably somewhere with ample room to move around in."

"I see, we trap them like rats in one location and begin an elimination operation."

"Precisely," Creed nodded but pointed to Adrian. "I will need you to send in the tip like you did for the weapons factory before."

"Anyone can do it, can't they?"

"Out of everyone in this organization, you are one of the very few, perhaps the only one with no history of crime on their record slapped on to your legal name. Those government dogs are bound to put the tip through some excruciating background checks. It needs to appear legitimate."

"Very well," Adrian agreed leaving to handle this task right away. Creed stretched is fingers, and upon every crack he felt his anticipation growing. _Perhaps this time, I may also be able to end your life soldier girl_.

* * *

 **A/N: So I am back from my little break with hopefully no more stops in between :). As a little something to look forward to, the next two chapters are entirely dedicated to the BGC with yet another surprise which I hope you will find to be pleasant.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter. Thank you for your readership and support!**

 **Constructive feedback is always welcomed.**

 **~ Monty**


	17. Return to Chorus

**Chapter 16: Return to Chorus**

Muffins rubbed his chin at the familiar blue planet. _The last time I was here, it was to pick up my hommies ja. Now I return again_. He turned to Buttmunch and demanded that Washington be called to the bridge. Washington rushed up as soon as he could. His jaw nearly fell down. He gripped the bars on the command control platform tightly and leaned forward unable to believe what he saw. _We are really here. It really is Chorus_.

Muffins activated the ship wide speakers. "Attention my cute little crew members. We have arrived at our first destination. We will be commencing atmosphere entry thingy, or whatever the official military term is, who cares? Just strap in tight because it might get bumpy. I sure would hate for any of you to bruise such perfect bums."

"Erm," Boyscout held up the second microphone unit and said. "I think what the captain is trying to say is that get yourselves somewhere safe during the descent process."

"Yes and that all of you have a sweet ass," he eyed the communications officer on deck. "Yes, even you Steve."

Steve suddenly felt an unwelcomed chill travel up every strand of his hair. He shifted his seat a little further away leaving Muffins silent for a moment. He threw up his arms and smashed his right foot on the ground. "Why won't you just accept my advances Steve? Don't you see what we can be together? We can be perfect!"

"Sir, that's harassment of the crew," Buttmunch interjected stopping Muffins from making any further advances. "Should you choose to continue, I will have to-"

"Do what Buttmunch, report me?"

"No, I was going to say hang you up by your balls for public display but I guess reporting would be the more professional approach."

"Easy there tiger, I think the Captain's been rubbing off on you a little too much," Boyscout noted concerned for the mental well being of his friend. One of the pilots looked back and informed the higher ups that they were at entry point. Muffins waved his arm to the operations officers and said. "Bring down the windshield covers. Activate the external cameras and bring up the ship's shields to full power."

"Ship's shields?" Wash looked to his right towards the mad Captain who laughed in agreement. "Wonderful no? Now our enemies cannot so easily scratch this ship. And should there be a need to crash it into something massive like before, we have a higher chance of keeping the ship intact this time around."

"By that you mean completely fuck it up right?" Grif noted standing with everyone else on the bridge. Wash looked at the guys in surprise and face palmed. "You did hear the announcement right?"

"Yeah, cool beans," Tucker answered. Wash gripped the bar behind him tightly. _Just calm down Wash, you don't need to go to the doctor to get pills for this. You can deal with this like a civil adult…I wish I didn't have to adult today_. "So then why are all of you here right now?"

"We couldn't miss seeing this," Donut answered recalling fond memories of his time on Chorus. But at the same time, not so fond memories surged in their minds. However, all in all they were happy to be able to witness the entry first hand. The ship's nose downed towards the planet and felt the full brunt of the stratosphere. The flames began to build up from the friction, expanding from the front of the ship all the way to the back. But thankfully the ship's shield kept their boat operating a maximum efficiency.

* * *

They broke through the stratosphere, however now they entered the atmosphere where the real bulk of the disturbance amidst the hull began. Grif nearly fell over, but was quickly saved by both Donut and Simmons. Everyone activated their gravity boots to help maintain balance. Muffins however was flying around the room hitting everything with his head along the way. Some places he even left a splatter of blood proclaiming. "The janitors will have a fun time cleaning that up. Oh, I think I left that one in an interesting spot. Wunderbar, it's like a game of hunt the Easter eggs, but instead of eggs, it's blood stains. So it's a mature version of Easter egg hunt now proclaimed by your lord and ruler, 'The Crimson Stains Hunt'."

"Would someone just get him strapped down already?" Tucker shouted in agitation. Grif added a small quip at the end. "Yeah, and preferably with men in white coats all around him."

"I love the color white, only second best to blue, and coats!" Caboose exclaimed. Sarge looked back and said. "Then you would fit right in that kind of place Caboose."

"I believe that would be counterproductive to our mission Caboose," Delta popped up behind him with all the AI's appearing around their brother. Theta rolled around on his skateboard trying to pull off some tricks. "Eh, I don't know, it might be a fun experience."

The AI fragments all blinked and pixilated worrying the others. Washington pointed at them with his mouth dropped open. "Did you all just make a backup of yourselves?"

"Possibly," Delta noted with caution. This was ground he had already treaded once, and would prefer not to do so again. Washington shook his head. "Leave it to you guys to have some faith in us eh?"

"Faith is one thing Agent Washington, but having assurances does not hurt either," Sigma said with his signature smile. Tucker looked at them all and exclaimed. "Dude, no matter how you look at it, that is still a dick move."

"If you want, I can make it up by telling a knock-knock joke to lighten the mode," Gamma inquired only to be quickly turned down. O'Malley placed a hand on Tucker's shoulder armor and said. "If it will make you feel better, I can always give you another concussion. I know it will help relieve some stress for me, how about it Tucker?"

Communications suddenly reactivated as the static from the entry subsided. "- UNSC ship, identify your purpose here. There were no scheduled entries for today."

Muffins took the microphone in his right hand and cleared his throat. "This is the galaxy ruler and the sexiest man alive know as Muffins and we have come to-"

Washington took the microphone out of his hand corrected. "My name is Agent Washington leading the troops of the Red and Blue program. We are here on personal business and request entry into the city housing Vanessa Kimball."

"Vanessa Kimball, you mean the military diplomat Kimball?"

 _Diplomat? I guess she would take up that job to make sure relationships remain stable between Chorus and other organizations_. Washington confirmed their questions. They went on radio silence for a few minutes before finally agreeing. They were led to a fully militarized base, something they never thought to see again on Chorus for several years. But even in times of peace, there was always that small necessity to keep an army ready. The pilot of the UNSC ship slowly landed it into a large docking area. Over the radio the soldiers instructed the important crew members, namely the Reds and the Blues to exit the ship without weapons and offered to take them to Kimball.

* * *

Outside the ship doors, the Reds and the Blues found several of Chorus soldiers, all outfitted in a different armor from what they had last seen. Many of the soldiers looked stunned, but quickly threw up their hand to the side of their head in a salute. The BGC Crew looked from side to side uncomfortably, however Sarge relished in this attention. Washington noticed two approaching soldiers who saluted them. Washington was also a little freaked out by this sudden behavior. "What's going on?"

"It's really an honor to finally meet you sir," one of the two soldiers wearing a green striped helmet spoke up. The other with red stripes on his agreed. "To think that we would get to meet the heroes who saved Chorus is really quite the opportunity. I'm so glad we could take the job of escorting you to Diplomat Kimball."

"Heroes huh," Grif repeated with a devious tone in his voice. "I wonder if they will finally let me have second helpings in the cafeteria."

"Please follow us," the red striped one motioned for them to walk in their footsteps. The BGC left the ship behind under the watchful eye of the Chorus soldiers and looked around clearly impressed by the strength of this small military base. Wash could not help but be even more impressed by the order around the base. _It hasn't been long since we left Chorus, probably three or so months at best, but they already have rebuilt so much. I wonder how their cities are doing_.

"At ease men!"

Every Chorus soldier stopped doing what they were doing and suddenly stood up straight to salute. Kimball, the dark brown haired and eyed woman walked between a row of soldiers. She had lost much of her well built physique ever since the end of the war, and at best was now at an average build. Washington nearly gasped at the change he saw on her body, but managed to hold himself back. She finally reached the ex-Freelancer and held out a welcoming hand. "Agent Washington, it is good to see you again. Although I must say that seeing the blue on you is rather different."

"Because blue team rules!" Caboose exclaimed earning a smile from Kimball. Sarge booed the man-child soldier. "Blue team sucks bluetard, red for the win!"

She motioned for them to walk behind her as she led them through the various halls of the base. From one they could see the large crater left behind by Hargrove's ship. While the planet was forever scarred because of it, the inhabitants had learned to make use of that land to creatively build their military installations. As far as they could see, a few operational factories were hard at work producing the goods needed for their everyday life. Workers flocked from their workplaces, in and out.

The weather was nice, and the skies while still somewhat affected by the smog of war were mostly clean. To Kimball and the rest, it was good to be able to once again breathe in the fresh, cool and breezy air without the fear of an ongoing war. Kimball eyed Washington and the others and said. "You know, I am surprised that all of you still chose to remain in the army. After everything that has happened, I would have thought that all of you would retire and kick back."

"Meh, I have made it my mission to already do that as much as possible," Grif replied with Donut adding to the conversation. "And what a pro you are at it Grif!"

They turned a corner and exited to a very familiar sight. It was the base of the now defunct New Republic army that Simmons, Grif, Caboose and Tucker had first arrived in. Aside from a few minor changes to help strengthen the architecture, most of the surroundings remained the same.

"This sure brings back memories," said Simmons. Tucker walked in close. "Yeah, like that time we all gave stupid speeches to see who would lead the rescue team for the others."

"Good times," Caboose exclaimed. "But I never got my Kool-Aid fountain. I still demand my Kool-Aid fountain!"

"Here we are," said Kimball as she stopped to point inside a building. The BGC looked inside and gasped. "Isn't this-"

"Yes it is," Kimball verified with a nostalgic smile. "Your old quarters from when you were here, you will find that most of the room has been left as it was before. So get settled in because I imagine there will be quite the party thrown in your honor later tonight."

"We didn't come here to party," Wash said bluntly killing the mood. He earned a few glares from those behind him but quickly added. "We are on sort of an urgent mission, it is very time sensitive."

"Come on Wash, it can wait!" Tucker said throwing up his arms in the air looking forward to the celebrations. Sarge for once agreed with the idea of holding a party. "It was a long journey on that ship, it will be good to let go a little. Who knows, I may even _accidently_ let go too much and fulfill my lifelong desire of putting Grif down for good."

"Ugh, fine," Wash turned to Kimball. "But we will need to talk after the celebrations are over. This isn't something we can put off. Our enemies won't just sit still waiting around for us after all."

* * *

Kimball left with the assurance that she will make the time to meet with him regarding their mission. Just as the BGC were getting settled in, they saw a strange head pop in. It wasn't someone they recognized. But as soon as the man spoke up, Tucker's head dropped low shouting. "Oh god damn it."

"It really is you guys!" said Charles Palomo as he walked into the area with Katie walking behind him hand in hand. Simmons nearly jumped at seeing her with her swelled belly before everyone finally realized the situation. Palomo held out his hands with a marriage ring on his finger and proudly said. "Guess what guys? I'm going to be a father! We are having a kid!"

Tucker looked from Katie to Charles and breathed out yet another irritated sigh. _He even had the luck to get laid, where as I have been the one to get knocked up, and not in a good way. How is it that he gets the ladies? I am calling bullshit on that one_. "I have been back on Chorus only for like thirty minutes and you are already showing me up. I hate you Palomo."

"I love you to Tucker!" he shouted in response trying to hug the blue soldier only to be walked around. Another soldier walked in from the Chorus army and held up a proud salute towards Caboose. "Admiral John Elizabeth Andersmith reporting sir!"

"Hello Agent Smith, how goes it?" Caboose asked looking up at the ceiling. Andersmith was rather happy to see nothing had changed with his ex-CO. "Very well sir, thank you for asking, sir. I hope you bestow me with more wisdom during this visit, sir!"

"Oh hey, did you guys bring any food?" Bitters poked his head in the room with an armful of fries and burgers. Grif's mouth immediately began to water as he slowly strode his way towards the seductive aroma. "Bitters…mmhhmm…give…"

"No, it's my food!" he quickly ran back around the corner. Grif chased after him screaming at the top of his lungs. "Food!"

"Good to see that Antoine hasn't changed a bit," Andersmith noted with a wide smile. Simmons looked at the two playing hide and chase and asked. "So since when did Bitters put on so much weight?"

"Oh he did that after he became a food critic," Matthews announced nearly giving Simmons a heart attack at the sudden appearance. "As for me, I became a motivational speaker. So turn those frowns upside down because I'm going to shape up those minds of yours gang. You can achieve anything if you believe hard enough!"

"[So then I can finally stop them from being splendidly stupid if I believe hard enough]," Lopez asked staring at Sarge. "[If only, if only...]"

* * *

Later that night, the festivities and everyone's spirits were high in energy. Many soldiers sat around listening to entertaining songs played by those on base while drinking beer with one hand, and eating food with the other. Some danced around while others sat down to chat in groups. It was a time for relief and joy. Many of the soldiers around the BGC encouraged them to take center stage to share a few words. Everyone elected Wash to speak on their behalf much to his chagrin.

He walked into the center of attention waving to everyone along the way. He heard their growing cheer. But he wondered what he could say right now that would better serve this mood. He didn't know anything other than the truth. He looked to his comrades who waited patiently for his speech. He cleared his throat and tapped the mic. A cringe worthy screech echoed from the speakers. He leaned in close and said. "It has been a while since we have been back here. For those that might not know me, I'm Washington from the Blue army of Blood Gulch. I feel that I have something important to talk about here, but let me first thank Kimball and the others for organizing such a massive event on a short notice for us. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves."

He heard a few cheers. He took it as a sign to continue. "But what I wanted to talk about was the reason why we are here on this planet. I figure it might be a good time since we have quite a sizeable number of soldiers here."

"Uh oh," Simmons whispered to Sarge. "Should he really be doing this right now?"

"Let's let him handle it for now."

"Now for why we are here," he took in a deep breath under the curious gaze of all the eyes in his direction. "I know Chorus is still recovering, but we are here to request your aid in fighting a new threat that has risen all across the galaxy as well as on Earth."

"Um…what?" one of the voices from the crowd asked confused at what this speech was exactly supposed to be about. The others agreed with a similar sentiment as the once happy mood died down and concerned murmurs arose. The fear of another war was still very much fresh in everyone's mind. They had just attained peace, and for the first time in their long lives they could finally go about their peaceful days now. Kimball understood these feelings of the people well. To further stop the deterioration of the situation, she stepped on stage and took the microphone. "Come on everyone, don't worry yourselves with this. Tonight is a night for enjoyment. You guys let me handle this, and enjoy yourselves!"

She looked back to Wash and signalled for him to follow. As the rest of the BGC were to follow, she stopped them in their tracks. "I would like to talk to him alone please. You guys go ahead and enjoy the party. If the guests of honor are missing from their own party, then there would be no point in having one right? So take it easy and try to keep their minds off of fighting. We may have a military again, but we all know that everyone deserves a long overdue break for many years to come."

* * *

She left with Wash guiding him to her office. She unlocked the door and swung it open. As Washington walked in, she closed the door behind them and sat down at her neatly organized desk. "Seems familiar, no?"

"This was your office from during the Chorus war."

"Yes it was and still is," she answered with a nostalgic smile of all the times she had soldiers counsel with her or simply seek her out for advice. "So that was quite the speech."

Wash looked down at the floor admitting his fault. "I was just trying to be honest."

"Direct honesty isn't always good Washington. Sometimes you have to ease people into things before dropping the big things on them."

"Yeah, if it's one thing I wish I could learn naturally after all this time in the army, it would be this."

"Heck, I'm surprised you still are in the army. I figured you would be one of the first to retire."

"I still consider it from time to time, more often now days," he replied. There was something about his voice that left a slightly serious impression on her. "But there is always that little something holding me back."

"Well if that time ever comes, consider retiring on Chorus," Kimball smirked motioning to the stacks of documents on another nearby desk. "I could put you to good use here."

"Wouldn't be much of a retirement then would it?" he laughed and added his desire to retire somewhere tropical perhaps, probably on Earth. Kimball could see him just lying back on a beach bathing in the sunlight. However she noticed that she had yet to see his face. "You are in a safe place Wash, you can lose the helmet."

"The day that happens will be on the day of my retirement," he quickly replied. "That will be some day I imagine, where I no longer need this armor."

"Kind of like how it was for us," Kimball noted recalling the very day she removed her combat armor. "But now you are asking us to go back out on the battlefield."

Washington could see the answer in her eyes already. "We have our reasons."

"As do we for not wanting to go out on that hell again, especially on one that doesn't involve us."

Wash shook his arms out. "I'm sorry if my sudden request was a shock to you all. But we have no one else to turn to."

"No one else to turn to is something we should be saying," Kimball argued as she activated a holographic screen. "Look at these pictures. This is what we have been able to build so far after the war. But this is still not enough. The hardships that come with cleaning up after a war are nothing compared to what we experienced in escalating it."

Washington studied the various villages, all of which seemed to be outdated in technology and architecture. They were vastly different from the city of Armonia. Kimball pointed to a graph showing various values about the economy. "See this? Our economy suffers to recover due to how focused we all were in our military division, and effectively ignored every other industry. The people are also another factor. I have spoken to many and they suffer from psychological issues thanks to that bastard Hargrove's selfish and corrupt actions."

Kimball motioned to the cities and the villages. "While our cities are beginning to flourish after so long, the villages in the rural areas still suffer. How can you expect us to help someone else when we can't even ensure the basic necessities for our own people yet?"

"Hasn't the UNSC done anything to help?"

"The UNSC?" Kimball laughed at the idea. "What they have done is basically left us pinned into a corner. The only way they would help us is if we surrender all power to them and become incorporated into their organization. My people fought long and hard to achieve this independence and freedom and I will be damned if I let the UNSC take it from us."

"Then how about a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

Washington leaned forward on the desk and said. "The captain of the ship we arrived with has some very influential contacts within the UNSC. If we wanted, he could most likely get you the help you need without having to sacrifice anything on your part. The only thing that would be asked of you is to maintain positive relations."

"Of course," Kimball stated bluntly. "That's why I took up this role. But as I said before, the UNSC hasn't exactly been very accommodating to us. How can you guarantee this aid you speak of?"

"I can't," Wash admitted rubbing the back of his helmet. "But you will just have to take my word for it."

"But only if we help you I take it?" she crossed her hands and rested her nose atop them. Wash leaned back from the desk and nodded his head. "Sorry to make it sound so odious after all the time we have known one another. But there is a threat on Earth in the form of a terrorist organization called the 'Cradle of Hope'. They are threatening the peace on Earth, but that's not all. They also seem to have dormant agents throughout the galaxy. If we don't handle this right now, then someday Chorus may become affected as well. And since the UNSC isn't willing to take any actions on Earth, we are the only ones adequately informed to do anything about it."

"Alright, pass on any data you can about this to me," she finally nodded her head. "But I will need time to think about it."

"That's fine, but we can't stay for long. I would appreciate a response soon."

Kimball then posed the question. "What will you do if Chorus can't help you?"

Wash smirked under the helmet and shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, we haven't thought that far ahead. But I'm sure we will figure something out, we always do."

Kimball felt reassured by the confidence, it was the same drive that she saw in the BGC during their time on Chorus when things seemed lost for them. She leaned back in her chair and let out a tired breath. "You know, I really want to help you, but convincing the people is another story as I can't speak on their behalf without actually getting their consent."

"I know," Wash said holding up a hand. "I know that you are only doing your job Kimball. The only thing we can all do in our jobs is give it our best and believe in the kindness of others. That's all we can really ask for now at this point."

Kimball agreed and looked down at her desk deep in thought just as Washington left the office. _I can't wait to see how this goes over with the Chorus Council tomorrow_. It was going to be a long day for her tomorrow, and an even longer one for the BGC who would patiently anticipate a hopefully positive result. For now, the lights on the base started to die down, and the soldiers slept peacefully like babies to wear down the effects of the alcohol and the party.

Wash walked out to the area the party was held and stretched his arms. _That was intense. I never thought it might be this easy_. He turned to look at some garbage on the ground and threw it in the nearby trash can. _But then again, we have yet to truly obtain the support we need_. He crossed his arms. "Here is hoping to that army we need."

* * *

 **A/N: So how was that chapter and the surprise I spoke of in the last chapter?**

 **I hope that this chapter has gotten you excited for what is to come with the final entry of the trilogy (even though this is not the last chapter). Some of the things I mentioned in here will be important so keep it in mind readers :).**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read and support this story, it is appreciated!**

 **Constructive feedback is always welcomed.**

 **~ Monty**


	18. Help Those in Need

**Chapter 17: Help Those in Need**

Kimball stared at the screen in front of her. On the monitor were several figures outlined by the light source behind them, but their facial features were darkened in contrast to the light. One of them looked around discussing an important matter brought up by Kimball. She shared the data Wash had given her in the hopes of convincing the Chorus council to provide aid.

Beep! Beep!

A notification popped up on her screen. It contained the results of their discussion and the course of actions decided by the council in the best interest of Chorus. Kimball's eyes widened as she read it out loud. "You can't be serious!"

"The decision is final Diplomat Kimball," said a woman. Others agreed and added. "We are, as you know very well, still in the process of rebuilding. You also have a basic understanding of our economical situation. How do you propose to fund such a large undertaking with our current situation?"

Kimball remained quiet. The council members further reasoned. "We can't afford to let go of any valuable resources right now either, not with the threat of the UNSC takeover at our doorsteps. Every individual within the military is important to the maintenance of our independence."

"But-"

"There will be no further discussions on this Kimball," said a man with a hoarse voice. His tone was serious and deep. He stared her down finally pushing her back into submission. "This meeting is over."

The screen went black and Kimball punched the side of the table. "Dammit!"

 _I should have expected this of them, they never see beyond the horizon of Chorus_. She gritted her teeth and lowered her head in defeat. _What will I tell them now? Not to mention, our chance of getting any help potentially dies with this blasted choice_. She held out a communication device and dialed a direct line to the reception of the base. "Could you please have someone escort Agent Washington of the Reds and the Blues here?"

"Right away ma'am."

She released the device onto the chair behind her and brushed back her hair. _What can we do now?_ Kimball paced back and forth for several minutes thinking of just how to break the news to him. A few minutes later, Washington stood in the door frame of her office. She invited him in and motioned for him to take a seat. "So I got off of talking with the council."

Kimball suddenly went quiet. Wash took this as a worrisome sign. "And?"

"And it seems that they have chosen to not have Chorus get involved. I won't be able to do anything more in my current position."

Washington gripped the arms of the chair in frustration. _That's just great_. He stood up to leave. Kimball found it hard to look him in the eyes as she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't do much for you guys."

"It's…," he recomposed himself and dulled the anger. "Its fine, we will figure something out on our own."

* * *

As soon as he walked down the steps from Kimball's office, he was met by the anticipating gazes of the BGC. Wash simply shook his head and walked past them. They quickly followed wanting an explanation.

"The council doesn't want to help, plain and simple," Wash replied rather abruptly before wanting to be left alone. But the others persisted that he stayed for a planning session. Against what his mood told him, he finally agreed. Wash looked at the gang and took in a deep breath. "So, what do you guys have in mind?"

"How about talking to people?" Caboose asked. The others gave him a quizzed look.

"What do you mean Caboose?" inquired Donut.

"Talk to the people directly instead of the council."

"Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad," Simmons agreed followed by the rest. But just as quickly Caboose contributed a good idea, he also turned it into his carefree silliness. "Then we can all take a big universe road trip together complete with cake and candies."

"Let's just focus on talking to the people first," said Tucker. "So where do we begin?"

"How about starting with our old teams?" Grif suggested pointing to Andersmith who was nearby busy with dishing out orders. The others nodded and agreed to the approach. They all dispersed to handle their respective teammates, Wash made sure to go with Caboose however for smooth talks. They all explained the situation in detail and what they had in mind. But as expected, there was some hesitance to take action against the council's decision. However that was quickly dispersed when the impeding danger Chorus faced was stated. Jenson still remained very hesitant though. "I'm sorry Simmons, but I can't go. I'm expecting a child now and I want to do everything I can to have a smooth pregnancy."

"O- Oh yeah," Simmons suddenly realized that a battlefield was no place for a pregnant woman, especially one who was well into her terms. "Of course, sorry I didn't think about that before. But if you can, I would really appreciate it if you help spread the word."

"Sure thing!"

Palomo, Andersmith, Bitters and Matthews on the other hand were all ready to jump on board with the mission and do whatever they can. If there was one thing they all agreed on was that ever since the creation of the council, it has been nothing but a bunch of old people put together into one room arguing all day long. It was a breeding ground for counterproductive politics.

"Screw the council," stated Bitters chomping down on a beef sandwich. Palomo then said. "Yeah, they never get anything done in a timely manner. If you want something done, it has to be done by the people directly or else it won't be done right."

"They just need the motivation to do better gang!" Matthews answered ecstatically trying to bring up the energy. Andersmith was inclined to agree that the politics at work only help to decrease the overall enthusiasm of the council members and the people of Chorus. "We will also help spread the word sir. We will do whatever we can. You helped us, it is time we make use of that gift to help others beyond our own planet as well. If we want for Chorus to prosper again, we need to work together."

* * *

In a matter of three days, there was great murmur created throughout the major cities. The citizens were ready to lend a helping hand. The council was very displeased to see such results. But the people were willing to help their heroes who selflessly helped them. Kimball was impressed by the amount of noise the BGC's efforts had created. She looked at the reports she was receiving from her trusted sources. The numbers willing to sign up to fight yet again were staggering.

Washington stood in front of her with her motioning to the report. "I have to hand it to you guys. You really know how to motivate people."

"We didn't do anything, it was the people of Chorus themselves who made this choice after becoming informed."

"I'm happy to see this much support for your- or rather our cause," Kimball smiled further solidifying her own personal support to their mission. "It seems that there are many rallies taking place as well to spread the information and take on recruits for the mission. Even some of our biggest corporations are willing to help sponsor this mission. People from the military and the police forces have signed up without a second thought. I guess this is the effect of wanting to pass on the help we once received."

"People just want to help someone else in need. If we believe in others, chances are they will come through for us," Wash stated with a happy smile underneath his helmet. He breathed out a sigh of relief and left the office. He gave a thumb up to the BGC who cheered out loud. Their efforts had made an impact. It was a victorious feeling, but Wash understood that the real battle had yet to come. "Alright, don't get too excited."

"Come on Wash," Tucker moaned. "Don't be a buzzkill. We just overcame a pretty big barrier. Let's savor the moment."

"Yeah," Sarge agreed. "It doesn't hurt to do so once in a while."

"If you will excuse me, I need to go and stuff my mouth in the cafeteria," Grif turned around to leave. "All this work has made me work up an appetite."

"[Oh good, more people willing to go on a suicide mission. At least we won't have to die alone now.]"

"Good point Lopez," Donut pointed to the direction of their accommodations. "I think I will go and take care of my daily wine and cheese hour."

Doc looked around all happy. "Oh this is so wonderful guys!"

He quickly switched over to O'Malley. "Now we can go serve some sweet delicious justice from the exploding end of my rocket launcher, mahwahahah!"

"And I will go for a walk with Freckles!" shouted Caboose looking down at the rifle. "Isn't that right Freckles?"

"Yes, Captain Caboose," said the AI in the rifle. "Let us go for our daily walk."

"Oh since everyone is going off to do their own thing," Tucker slowly backed away feeling a bulge build up in his crotch. "I'm going to go take care of some private stuff in alone time now."

Washington looked all around him and pretty soon he was the only one left. "I guess target practice it is for me."

* * *

Over the next few hours, the numbers of recruits continued to rise. The Reds and the Blues were happy with the results. Washington was thankful for such selfless kindness everyone showed to them for the betterment of greater good. But he was still concerned. Tucker was quick on the uptake. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried about these numbers."

"Really?" Grif asked startled at the response. Simmons let out a small chuckle wondering just how many soldiers they exactly needed. "You know that this is a small army right Wash?"

"I realize that, but the issue is that the enemy has more numbers," he reminded them. "You have all seen the reports from Carolina. While I'm grateful for the courage the people of Chorus have shown to us once again, this small army comes nowhere close to the scathing numbers in Cradle of Hope."

"Then what else do you even suggest we do?" Donut asked. Washington let his arms fall in cluelessness. "That's the big question isn't it? Honestly I don't know right now."

"Hey man, beggars can't be choosers," Tucker claimed before leaving with the rest of the group. Wash folded his arms around one another and was inclined to agree. _That's true, but what if this doesn't prove to be enough to handle their overwhelming numbers? Can you still say the same Tucker? Sometimes we have to be choosy_.

* * *

On Earth, ATSG receives the tip. Siris sat up straight in his chair upon reading it and called for an emergency meeting. He showed others the tip and inquired about their readiness. Chloe was out for good for the time being, but the others were ready for action. Ken was skeptical though. "Again, how do we know that this tip is trustworthy?"

Siris slowly shook his head. Ken looked around at his comrades and asked. "And all of you still want to do this?"

"But if this is legit, then this maybe your only chance," said Church upon studying the authenticity study results of the tip. Carolina agreed. "You might finally be able to get your sister back."

"That is if the operation allows for it and no one pulls the trigger," he eyed Siris with a dangerous glare. Siris backed off a little. "If you can capture her nothing will happen to her, otherwise I will be forced to order a shoot to kill order. I have our mission to look out for after all."

Ken reluctantly nodded his head. "Fine, fine."

"How do we handle this particular mission?" inquired a soldier from the very back of the room. Siris turned to the computer where he had a strategy all laid out. "Plain and simple, go in, take care of any obstacles in our way. We retrieve our objective, if there is no other choice then we shoot to kill. Get out of there and call it a day. Hopefully with this mission, we can finally put an end to this nightmare."

"Who will be on vehicle duty?" asked another soldier only to be surprised when Siris raised his hand. "I know, I haven't been out in the field in a long time. But even with this prosthetic leg of mine I will still be able to do my part by being a getaway driver."

"Are you sure?" Carolina asked and received a reassuring nod. "Trust me, I will be fine."

"Well, here is hoping that we will be to," Church said before retreating back into Carolina's room through the electrical networks of the bunker.

In an abandoned lot stood a broken down building that was slowly decaying away. Greenery grew on the edges of its walls and fences covered in snow. Many individuals hammered down several traps all around the location under the watchful eye of Creed. He turned to face the illuminating light of the moon and let out a visible breath. He stepped forward onto the thin layer of snow and closed his left eye. _I will wait for you right here soldier girl. This fight will be all or nothing. Either you leave or I leave alive, no middle ground_.

* * *

 **A/N: Prepare yourselves for a battle is coming followed by a war.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read and support!**

 **Constructive feedback is always welcomed. :)**

 **~ Monty**


	19. Boxed Like Rats

**Chapter 18: Boxed like Rats**

It was at the break of dawn that the ATSG left their bunker on what they hoped to be a fruitful mission. The van drove slowly through the thin layered streets of snow, carefully turning corners and following the map laid out before Siris on the GPS. He looked to his right to see Ken quietly staring out the window. "So, have you gone over the mission briefing?"

Ken remained quiet at the inquiry. Siris already knew that his student had done so purely out of habit that he drilled into him since day one of their tactical training. "It would be nice if we can finally end our struggles here can't we?"

Ken shifted in his seat to look in front of them. He stared at the GPS map, they were close now. Siris became a little uncomfortable with the silent treatment and gently tapped the steering wheel with his left hand. "Look, Ken, I'm sorry for keeping the truth from you. I know this may not mean much now considering how I failed to act on this issue when you first found out and it was wrong of me to lie the way I did it. But I just want to fix things now. Can't you at least even afford me that one chance?"

Ken pointed in front of him just as the van exited a forest of large buildings. "We are here."

Siris looked with a defeated sigh and nodded his head. He knocked to the back compartment housing the rest of their soldiers and said. "Get ready, we are almost there."

He approached the gates of the building. _Who the hell would build a base in this decaying building?_ He wondered parking the van. He knocked behind them as Ken exited the vehicle. "Alright, time to go people! I will keep the van active near the area so as to avoid suspicion. If you need immediate evacuation, use your comms to call me without a second thought."

Carolina burst open the lock and drew her rifle. The rest walked in behind her with Ken sticking to the shadows. "Church, give me area layout."

He uploaded the data to her HUD. "There you go, but keep your eyes peeled."

* * *

The ATSG soldiers spread out into different directions scanning every inch of the complex. There was nothing there but the dust and debris. They were beginning to think that perhaps there was more to this than met the eye. Ken searched for any underground routes, but found no such thing. He radioed into his comrades only to find similar results. They were alone, and there was nothing here for them. One walked past without noticing a tripwire. Without a sense of sensitivity, they activated it causing a red light to spin round and round with a loud piercing alarm to their ears.

Many panicked momentarily while covering their ears in agony. Several enemy soldiers from the second floor popped their heads out and pointed their guns. They opened fire at the group in the center leaving many for dead. Carolina reacted upon seeing her allies fall to the floor. "Church, activate the bubble-shield!"

The bullets deflected from the spherical shield captivating a certain diameter of the floor. Church appeared beside her. "You may want to think of something fast or else you will drain all of your energy."

The other ATSG members raised their weapons and readied their aim. Ken sneaked up to the second floor taking special notes of any traps along the way. Carolina looked around and nodded to her comrades. "Church, match their fire rate and adjust shield."

"Oh okay," he replied quite anxiously. "I mean I'm not Theta but let's see how this goes."

"Sync?"

"Sync!" shouted Church as the shield blinked. The ATSG soldiers opened fire and Church accounted for every bullet trajectory. He opened holes in the shield just before the bullet would near the edge of the shield. They nailed their targets in the head. Ken sneaked up behind one and with a firm grip on the soldier's hair he smashed his nose onto the ground. The others looked towards the commotion but before they could act, they were down in a pool of their own blood. Ken took the man and threw him down to the first floor. He jumped after him and landed on his rib. The enemy soldier screamed in pain while taking a fetal position.

"Start talking pal," Ken slapped him on the cheek while sitting him up. "Tell us where the leader of your organization is."

The man spat near Ken's feet. "Fuck you."

Ken gripped the man's leg and stretched the bones beyond a comfortable threshold. "You are not playing the odds here friend."

"I won't talk."

Crack!

Ken silenced the man upon his loud squeal. He took the other leg in his hands and looked at the enemy. "Still want to put on this bravado?"

The enemy soldier looked from the leg to Ken. He shook his head still reluctant as ever to comply. Ken applied more pressure. The silence persisted. "You must really like pain. I wonder if you are a masochist."

Ken quickly broke the man's other leg and moved onto his left arm. "Come on, no amount of loyalty can be worth this pain now can it?"

"I will never talk," the man replied swallowing a bit of spit. His whole body shook from the sharp sting he felt. Ken shook his head and slapped the man on the cheeks. "Come on, I'm basically giving you a chance to play for the good guys here."

"Good guys? Don't make me fucking laugh you good damn government dogs."

"Oh come on," Ken mused. "You don't need to be so stuck up about being here in this situation right now. You chose this. Now talk or I break."

"Screw o-"

Ken broke the other arm. The man squirmed onto the ground shouting in agony. "You fucking bastard! Gah! Fuck!"

Ken kicked him in the nose to shut him up and held him up by his hair. "Not so tough now are you?"

Suddenly the enemy soldier took out a knife. Ken backed away to gain some distance, but what followed was a sight most wished to wash out from their memories. The enemy soldier stabbed the knife into their gut and began to cut through their organs horizontally. Blood spluttered out followed by his intestines and stomach. Many ATSG soldiers covered their nose to block out the disgusting stench of a freshly butchered body. Several were so horrified that they could no longer bear to watch. "Jesus, god damned fanatics."

* * *

Thud!

The metallic sounds of the front gate closing echoed through the complex. The ATSG soldiers looked towards the entrance and saw a great many numbers approaching their position. Ken drew his pistol and opened fire. "Stop staring and fight back!"

"Church, find us an exit!" barked Ken as he reloaded his pistol. Church worked fast to get a real time 3D layout of the terrain. "Oh no."

"What?" Carolina asked not liking the sound of his voice. She nailed her targets straight in the head. Church appeared near Ken. "We are boxed in."

"Great, thanks for the news. You sure know how to cheer a guy up Church," said Ken as he took out a pair of binoculars and motioned for his team to create a defensive perimeter to hold off the advancing threat. Everyone continued their assault. They made good head way on the terrorist soldiers. Just as quickly as the enemy came, they were gunned down.

Adrian walked through one of the major bases of operation for Cradle of Hope. He eyed the frantic workers quickly getting everything ready upon his orders. He stopped when faced by a large circular and metallic safe door. One of the soldiers presented himself to the advisor with a salute. "Sir, we have unlocked the door. The lights to the chamber should be operational. But just in case here is a flashlight."

Adrian nodded to the soldier and gave one final order. "Transfer operational rights of the faculty to me. Once that is done, abandon base."

"Sir?"

He began walking inside and looked back one last time. "Be sure to lock up the door tightly. This is a crucial moment for our organization. Do as I say, relocate to other bases and be sure to bring everything here down to the ground once everyone has retreated. The tunnels will hold so don't worry about me or our dear leader."

The door closed behind him. Adrian walked in the yellow tinted circular hallway that slowly descended into the ground. _I'm here Aria, I'm here for you_.

* * *

Ken led the group to the front and tried to get the doors open with the help of others. But no matter how hard they tried, the door just wouldn't budge. "Someone contact Siris, and let him know of the situation."

He looked around for anyone carrying heavy armaments. For once he regretted not packing any weapons with more impact. At the sound of glass breaking, he jumped to look back. There he was, there was the big man that had been so fixated on hunting their whole group down this whole time. Creed stood alone with the crack of his neck. Several of the ATSG soldiers opened fire. But their bullets held no argument against Creed's armor. He dispatched of the attackers quickly and brutally. More comrades were dead, and Ken could see no other option but to fight this threat. He looked back to the others and motioned for them to leave. "Spread out and find us another exit."

Creed watched the group disperse, but the only one who interested him the most opted to stay behind with Ken. He cracked his fists and smirked under the helmet. "So here we finally are. Let's end this dance for good, soldier girl."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for dropping by. I appreciate the support and readership!**

 **Constructive feedback is always welcomed! :)**

 **~ Monty**


	20. Fall of the General

**Chapter 19: Fall of the General**

Carolina and Ken rushed Creed from both sides. Ken threw a kick, Carolina threw a punch and both of them were blocked by him. Creed pushed Carolina back and took hold of Ken. He threw the young man onto the ground before trying to stomp onto him. Ken rolled to his right over and over again until he hit a wall. Creed approached him with heavy steps, but was abruptly stopped by Carolina's efforts as she jumped onto his back. He struggled against her grip around his neck and threw her over his shoulder.

Ken punched the enemy as soon as he stood up. There was no visible effect on Creed's armor. He smirked as Ken continued to try and fail. "You fight with much spirit."

He blocked Ken's punch, took both his arms in his hands and kicked Ken hard down to the ground. "But spirit alone is not enough to change the world let alone defeat me."

Creed lifted Ken by his collar and smashed his back against the wall hearing an uncomfortable crack echo from Ken's body. He leaned in close and whispered. "Strength is needed as well."

Carolina took out her blade and tried to stab the man in the knee. But his armor withstood the force of the blade. He took her hand in his and forcibly loosened the grip on the knife. He picked her up by her neck and punched her hard enough to make her nearly throw up. "That's what I have always liked about you since our first encounter soldier girl, the willingness to keep on fighting even during times a victory may not be foreseeable."

He kicked Ken back down to the ground who tried to get up for a sneak attack. Carolina fought back quickly by punching him on his abs. None of her hits had an effect. He held her thin arms in his hands like pieces of twigs and twisted it over. She screamed in sudden discomfort, but quickly recovered by twisting around to kick him on the right side of his helmet. Just as Ken stood up, Carolina stumbled his way for support. They both looked at one another and nodded. This time they planned to do it together rather than let Creed pick them apart so easily.

* * *

More enemy soldiers entered the fray by activating various hidden doors. They ran towards the group of fighters headed for the main gate. They all opened fire, rushing past the dance of bullets. As quickly as they opened fire, bodies began to pile up on both sides. Firing their way through the terrorists, the ATSG soldiers reached the gate. The hacker within their group set up their equipment and began the hack procedure. "Come on baby, give me something good here."

Uhn! Uhn!

A red screen flashed on his device with a warning symbol. The firewall was proving to be a greater challenge than the hacker had thought it would be. "Oh, lovely."

He looked back to his teammates. "Buy me some time."

"How long is 'some' time?"

"As long as I need to get this door open."

The others prepared their guns to make a stand. Many constructed a makeshift barricade around their position and fortified their chances of survival. Everyone set up on the barricade wall with their gun resting over the edge. They watched the enemy fighters close in before spraying randomly. Every bullet hit its target. Some died instantly, while others suffered the sad fate of a slow death by blood loss.

One of the defenders got Siris on the line. "Sir, where are you? We need that help right now."

Siris pulled up the van at a safe spot and stealthily shadowed the wall. "I'm here. Give me time to clear out any enemy presence out here."

He peeked from the corner to find one man guarding the main gate. Siris took a nearby pebble and with the shadow's aid he neared the enemy. Siris threw the pebble quite a ways away, but enough to distract the man. He quickly ran jumping up on the dumpster. The soldier looked behind him and raised his weapon. Siris extended his wrist blade as he kicked off the dumpster. The soldier undid the safety on his weapon. Siris landed fast and hard onto the man making a clean cut into his throat. He stood up feeling the after effects of this move on his robotic prosthetic leg. He kicked the gun away and radioed into his comrades. "Alright, all clear out here. I'm going to see what I can do on my end here."

* * *

Adrian stalked the long circular hallway now deep underground. He felt the falling temperature of the air around him as he descended further downwards. He eyed his digital wrist watch with a close eye. _Things are moving along splendidly_. Adrian looked up and with a cold hard emotionless face he pondered. _It is a shame that General Creed could not be here for her awakening_. Adrian kept on walking recalling all the times he found himself detesting Creed. Now that Creed was at what could be his final battle, he felt a certain growing sense of respect.

"You were quite an interesting man Creed," Adrian talked to himself hearing the echoes of his own voice. "Too bad we will not see one another ever again."

* * *

Carolina ducked under Creed's punch and delivered a firm uppercut. Creed recovered and punched the back of Carolina's helmet. She went tumbling down. Ken tackled Creed from the back. He activated his wrist blade and heated up the tip. Through the very small cracks in his armor leading to the under suit, he stabbed the General in the right side of his back. Creed groaned in pain as he shook Ken away. As the blade receded from the wound, Creed kneeled to the ground. He slowly stood up with a growl, gathering every inch of his energy to walk towards Ken and smashed his nose in.

Carolina tackled him from the front with the help of her speed module, but even that did not help. He maintained a firm grip on the floor with his boots and held her with his hands. Ken punched Creed on his wound and brought the big man down. His screams echoed throughout the complex with Carolina round house kicking him to the ground. She threw away his helmet and began a fury of wild and barbaric punches.

Left, right, left, right and then left again. She punched him without withholding her strength. He could feel every ounce of anger in her fists. "You god damned terrorist!"

He took every hit with a firm jaw as if to further provoke her. "Because of you, I lost people. Because of you, others who had done no wrong died!"

He took her right fist. Just as she raised her left fist, he stopped it in its tracks. "Everyone does some wrong."

He head butted her and threw her to his right onto the ground. Even though the helmet had absorbed most of the impact, she still felt her whole head shaken by the experience. Her mind was a blur from headache, her body jolted down when trying to rise again. Creed adjusted his jaw. The after effects of her punches were strong. Ken tried to sneak behind Creed, but before he could land a meaningful blow, he was thrown against a nearby pillar. "You two fight with much vitality. It's a shame you stand against us, for now I must break you."

Angered by his bravado, she stuttered upwards with the help of the wall. She rushed up to him and tried to tackle him down. "Fuck you and fuck your organization!"

Creed took hold of her right arm and loosened it from his waist. He twisted the arm around hearing a jolt of agony. Creed swung her body around until it hit a concrete wall with a loud ear piercing crash. She could feel her body break itself apart. A few muscles had easily torn apart. Moaning in pain she tried to stand up. Creed held her by her head and began to apply pressure. But before he could use his other fist to do anymore damage, Ken slashed Creed's right ear!

Carolina's face crashed onto the concrete as Creed stumbled to his left holding his ear. He growled in pain and saw his right hand covered in blood. His hearing was already distorted from the damage done to his right ear. Ken took out his pistol, but missed the shot. Creed retrieved his pistol from the holster and shot Ken in the shoulder. The young assassin fell onto the ground holding the newly opened wound while suppressing the urge to scream. Creed inched closer and held the barrel against Ken's forehead. But before he could push the trigger, Carolina deflected his shot and disarmed him of his mid-range capability. She kicked him in his injured ear before being stopped in her track by his hulking figure. He elbowed her down to the ground and repeatedly punched the helmet. As brutal as the sounds were of his fist pounding against the helmet, the sliver of light breaking through to her vision came as a shock.

Her helmet nearly broke in half with her visor breaking apart. She tried to get up, but her head trauma would not let her. "Church, run the healing unit."

Creed took this moment to recover from his own pain and noticed her slowly standing up. "I was wondering whether you would break on your own, or I would be granted the pleasure to do so with my own hands."

He punched her in the stomach as she threw a long punch his way, and slapped the back of her helmet. She fell to the ground and began to crawl away. Just then she took notice of a trap that had not entered her vision before. _That's it_. She crawled towards the trap guiding the General into her territory now. He bent down and gripped her collar. But before he could lift her, she threw in hard punches at his face until he fell down. Carolina rushed for the gun and smashed its butt against his forehead.

"Stay the fuck down already!" Church shouted as he started running the healing unit. Carolina already felt the effects kicking in. "Where is your leader?!"

Creed let out a loud crackle leaving a confused Carolina. _Does he not understand his position right now?_ She threw away her helmet and faced him eye to eye. "If you don't talk right now, I won't hesitate to blow your brain out!"

"You people always want to know information for things that have already happened," he grovelled against the barrel on his cheek. "Things will change. People must change, because if they want to see us gone, then there is no choice but to change."

Carolina applied pressure with the pistol. "Where is she?!"

She only remained to let her eyes widen in shock when hearing his fearless laughter. There was nothing that she could do to make him talk except perhaps threaten him with a slow death. She pointed the gun towards the trap's trigger switch. "I will ask one last time, where is she?!"

Creed took a nearby piece of concrete and threw it at the switch. Carolina looked up at the unhinging sounds above them and jumped out of the way. Suddenly debris fell from the second floor and onto Creed burying and crushing his body, leaving only the head exposed. His breath had become erratic and death was clearly knocking at his doorstep. "Foolish girl, I never feared death. What I fear most is that people will never change their ways. Humans will always be selfish, violent, and greedy and…corrupt."

He breathed in deeply and desperately. "Such imperfections will be our own undoing eventually…leading us to o- our extinction."

Carolina slowly sat up watching from afar. She could see the truth in his words as his eyes remained empty. No fear was existent. In fact his growingly wicked grin suggested he welcomed death. "People must be set…on the right path. For if they are not…a grim f- future will awa- await them…"

He slowly closed his eyes. Carolina caught her breath and calmly approached the enemy. She bent down to check his pulse. His heart had stopped. She rushed to Ken's aide and studied his wound. Church reassured her that it wasn't life threatening.

* * *

Siris finally managed to get the doors opened with the help of the hacker on the other side. He rushed in to check on the scene and was left dazed. He motioned for everyone in the complex to follow him. Over the radio to any not in his vicinity he gave words of encouragement and hope. Their fight for the time being was over. They were going to leave. They were going home.

Carolina picked up Ken and looked back at Creed. She gritted her teeth feeling the pain in her body return. Her armor ran low on power. Her mind was deep in thought contemplating Creed's last few words. She could see the ugliness of humanity he spoke of. She could see the truth in his words, but only the partial truth for there was another side to the coin he described. _There will always be people who are willing to change. There are those who wish to incite war for various reasons, and those who will suppress such desires in favor of peaceful times and values. You were right, but you were wrong at the same time. In this universe, no matter how bad things may get, there will still be good in people_.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter will be the final chapter to this entry. I hope you look forward to it!**

 **Also a sad way to go out for Creed, being crushed to death and having every bit of your breath be squeezed out of you.**

 **What did you think about the action sequence, especially the hand to hand aspects? If you have suggestions on how to improve choreography for action scenes, feel free to share!**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read and support this story! :)**

 **Constructive feedback is always welcomed.**

 **~ Monty**


	21. Awakening

**Chapter 20: Awakening**

As he slowly peeled his eyelids backwards, the sliver of light momentarily blinded the young assassin. He slowly sat up feeling the sting of the bullet wound. Ken inspected the leftover scar from the surgery to remove the bullet. The doctor came to his bedside and gave him the okay to leave for the day from his cell and muscle regeneration therapy. Just as he wore his shirt, he was greeted by Chloe. "It's good to see the hibernating bear finally awake."

He smirked her way and looked at the casts on her arms. "Still no good?"

She gave an aloof smile with the shake of her head. "It will take time, even with the cell and muscle regeneration therapy, only natural means can heal the bones."

"Well on the upside," Ken wore his armored hoodie. "You missed one hell of a fight."

"I can see that," she replied worriedly studying his shoulder. He gently patted her head and said. "You don't need to worry about this too much. It will heal. At the very least we got their highest ranking General. But-"

"But you didn't manage to find Aria."

"Yeah," he answered with a lowered gaze. "Lord only knows where she is now. What is Siris up to? I need to talk to him."

"I hope this is about getting over your issues the two of you have," Chloe noted earning an impatient stare from Ken. "He is in the main control room. But I wouldn't disturb him right now. He is busy with the cleanup."

"Cleanup? We fought away from the densely populated parts of the city. What type of cleanup could be required?"

"For one thing, the higher ups aren't pleased with the results," Chloe stated. "The lives that were lost would also mean a rather dark stain on our record. Too many were sacrificed for no results."

Ken finally understood the situation. He looked around. "Where is Carolina?"

"In her room, I think. Why do you ask?"

"I have a favor to ask of her," he gently went past her with Chloe following close. Finally on her doorstep he knocked loudly. Carolina looked at the door with a stuffing of cheese in her mouth. In a mumbled voice she spoke. "Come in."

The door swung open to see the ex-Freelancer soldier sitting with a plate full of cheese cubes, and a glass of wine in her other hand. Ken walked in to the strong smell of the cheese and nearly felt the need to retreat. He gave her an unsure look while doing his best to keep composure. "Charming."

"You aren't allowed alcohol down here," Chloe said peeking over from Ken's shoulder. Carolina looked at the glass of wine and replied. "I got permission from Siris, but only for one glass. So I gotta savor every sip and make it last as long as possible. I think he relaxed the rules a bit while we recuperate."

"But why cheese and wine?" questioned Chloe and received a grin from Carolina. "A certain pink armored fellow does this every day. I figured I may as well follow his example and pick up a hobby. The cheese and wine combo is strangely relaxing, even better than beer."

"Well it sure beats dealing with an alcoholic," Church remarked recalling her drinking habits. Carolina in her defense stated. "Sometimes a girl needs to drown her sorrows in a nice cool can of beer alright?"

"As interesting as this exchange is, I need a favor," said Ken stepping forth. Carolina sat up straight and rested her glass of wine on the table. "Easy there. Have you even recovered yet?"

"The doctor said I am free to wander outside of the bunker. My injury won't act up, I promise."

"This favor," Chloe said in a near whisper. "It's not something crazy like going rogue to find your sister is it?"

He turned around to playfully flick her forehead. "Come on Chloe, how many years have we known one another now? Do you really think I would desert ATSG like this?"

"Then what do you plan on doing now that we failed to apprehend her?" Carolina asked out of pure interest. He turned to confidently look her in the eyes and said. "Most likely my sister has been awakened so apprehending her will be even more challenging. But that doesn't mean I will stop. There is only one thing I want to do, that is to see her again."

"Even if she may not want to?" Church interjected earning a semi-dangerous glare from Ken. "You don't know that. Running from this won't give me peace. The fact that I can still fight and face these terrorists with the prospect of meeting her again gives me hope. This is hope that we may be able to understand one another and eventually quit everything. We can then perhaps leave all the violence behind in order to start our lives anew."

Carolina stood up and stretched her arms. She felt the tingle left over from her therapy to repair her torn muscles. While her body had already healed for the most part, it was most definitely not at peak performance. "So, what was this favor of yours?"

"I was hoping you could drive me somewhere," Ken replied with Chloe realizing the meaning of his words. She stepped a little closer and he turned with a smile. She then backed away knowing there was nothing she could do to dissuade him from this choice. Carolina agreed to the favor and jokingly replied. "Sure, but take me out to a nice bar sometime in return. The drinks will be on you."

"Please don't," moaned Church as they all left the room.

* * *

On Chorus, the Reds and the Blues were all gathered in a large open space on the military base. Standing before them was a small army, the fruits of their and several other people's labor. Washington could not be happier to see such determination in their eyes. As the able bodied civilians now once again enlisted in the army temporarily for this mission, they retrieved their standard issue armor and weaponry. Many had spent several days on base to once again familiarize themselves with the tool they had happily abandoned upon the end of their previous war.

Washington crossed his arms and disclosed a worrisome sigh. Tucker looked at the ex-Freelancer and groaned. "Okay, I will bite. What is it now?"

Washington ignored the annoyed tone of his voice and divulged the team in his concern. "These numbers are great, but as I mentioned before, they won't be enough. We need a bigger army."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Grif demanded. Washington turned towards Kimball hoping for more troops, but she had to draw a line on how much they could do. "We can't just force people to join you know."

Wash then had no other choice but to go with plan B. He turned to Muffins and inquired. "Is it possible to get access to the UNSC database containing all the personnel files?"

"Ja, we already have it."

"Good," he looked at Simmons hoping to put the maroon soldier's skills to some use. "Simmons, you have always seemed good with databases. Can you fetch me some data?"

"Sure, but what do you need exactly?"

"I want the location data for every base and planet that houses those from the Red and Blue army."

The others looked at one another starting to see the bigger picture. Washington nodded his head and smirked under his helmet. "We are going to raise an army of unlikely heroes."

* * *

In the dark room lit by a few floor lights and the fog that surrounded the stasis pod, sat Adrian hunch backed by a control panel. He looked down to check his watch. _Almost time_. He turned to look at the pod itself. Her complexion was still just as beautiful as he had remembered it since last they spoke. Her vital signs read a positive result for him. Adrian stood up and slowly inched closer to the window of the stasis pod. "I hope you are having a good dream in there. Enjoy it while you can for reality requires your attention Aria."

Beep…

Adrian looked at the device in his pocket. It displayed a flat heart rate. It was a delayed notification of the fate that befell Creed. _Your death was not in vain Creed_. Adrian pondered with some sense of mutual respect and sadness. "While you were still an unwelcomed gear in the grand scheme of operation, at least you served one last useful purpose for the betterment of this universe."

* * *

In the outlands from the city, the cool air hit their windshield and spread out to the sides of the car as she drove on the snow piled roads. Carolina followed Ken's directions. Before she knew it, turning left and right, then straight for a few kilometers followed by few more turns that caused them to exit out onto a prairie. Upon Ken's indication, she stopped the car and stepped out. Ken walked off a few steps away from the car with a shovel in hand and a metallic box in the other arm.

He stopped at what were two gravestones. The engravings were of that of his parents' names, the 'Langford' family. He gently set the box to the side and started clearing the snow beside his mother's grave. With force he dug the shovel into the ground and peeled the soil away. Digging deeper into the ground he threw the dirt to the right. The hole was ready, and so was the box. Ken stabbed the shovel into the snow to stand it upright and bent down to open the box. A small smile struck his face as the flood of memories entangled him into a deep undercurrent, inescapable, and full of nostalgia.

Carolina took out her mobile device and saw the picture of her own family. The Reds and Blues, Washington, Elsie and Edwards all looked content and happy towards the camera. She firmly gripped the phone with surfacing sadness in her eyes. In her reality they were gone, but in her mind she so desperately wished for their return. She wanted to see them again. She wanted to take Edwards out to these fields and grant him the joyful experience of playing in the snow as every child deserved to. She bit her bottom lip and closed shut her eyes.

* * *

On Chorus, Washington was busy ordering the troops as they were rushing to begin their journey. Many were preparing supplies and loading them onboard to the generously donated ships by the Chorus Military. He stopped to talk with Kimball briefly. The two nodded at one another in agreement, and Kimball left her people in his hands. She waved goodbye to him as he simply gave a relaxed two finger salute. It was time for their departure.

The Reds and the Blues boarded Muffins' ship and strapped down for takeoff. As the ship launched, others followed after it. The hull shook violently during their ascent. The soldiers gritted their teeth and held tightly onto the safety restraints. Simmons held Edwards' gift in his hand determined to destroy any evil he sees on the rise. He would do it not just for Edwards and Elsie, but because he will also willingly act on what the right thing is to do. He will be that great warrior and figure he wanted to be in Edwards' eyes. The ships left the Chorus atmosphere. They were finally off into deep space all jumping to their next coordinate.

* * *

Ken stared at the photo of his older sister with quivering lips. He held back the weakening composure from surfacing and squeezed shut his eyes. The next time he opened them, the determination he showed to get her back was there once more. Ken bent down to gently store the picture inside the box and tightly closed it. He rested the box into the hole and began to cover it up leaving yet another grave or perhaps a time capsule in the land.

He stood up and wiped his forehead. As his cold breath escaped him, his gaze intensified onto the freshly buried spot. He tightly held the shovel with both his hands in front of him and lowered his head in respect both for his parents and sister. Even if they were on the opposite side of the fence, they were still family and deserved respect. But the bigger question for him remained to be whether Aria would still consider him family or not. He walked away towards the car as Carolina jumped back into the driver's seat. They soon left the graves alone at the mercy of the cold weather.

* * *

Adrian stared at the changing numbers on his watch. It was time. He pressed a few button sequences on the panel in front of him. The bolts on the stasis pod undid themselves as they stretched out from the metallic casing. Few of the locks from the inside unhinged to allow the two parts of the pod to separate. Cold air escaped the unit as it spread out into a mystified steam all over the floor.

Adrian's eyes widened with joy. Her vital signs were reading normal as she thawed. He looked delighted at the working technology and approached the pod. Both of his hands were intertwined nervously for there was still much that could go wrong. The tools are one thing, easily controlled but the human body was another matter entirely.

To his relief, she began to stir awake. As he scanned her body from her feet upwards, he saw her chest rising and falling. Her long black hair moved a few strands with the extremely gentle breeze of the air around them. Her lips quivered from the sudden heat introduced to her cold body. Her muscles flexed feeling what was around them. Her eyelids peeled back revealing a blur through her dark brown eyes.

She took in a deep breath. The bells of war began to toll. Change was on the horizon, whether people wanted it or not. Change must come and the humans must realize their mistakes. She awoke to once again reclaim her role as the leader and the harbinger of a war. War was on the horizon.

~ Fin ~ Red vs. Blue Season 18 (Continued in Season 19)

* * *

 **A/N: So remember that musical suggestion I said I would make throughout the story. Yeah let's just say I didn't listen to much music while writing this. But there is one that I listened to quite a lot when working on the ending. When Carolina and Ken are driving to the prairie to visit his parent's grave, start playing "Mt. Washington" by Local Natives, you can easily find it on YouTube. Keep on playing it all the way to the end of the story. The end of the story is also meant to coincide with the end of the song. Just a little something extra to perhaps help add a cinematic atmosphere to the reading experience.**

 **That is it, it is done. The second entry in the "Cradle of Hope" trilogy is over. Now I will move onto the final entry. But when that will be is something I don't know. I haven't planned anything for it on paper, so there may be quite a bit of break in between as I need time to sort out the plot, structure, themes and any character development that takes place.**

 **Other than that, what did you think of this story?**

 **What do you think about the trilogy so far?**

 **While I realize I shouldn't really do this, but as a means of creating a benchmark to measure this trilogy so far, how do you feel it measures up to the first two entries of the "New Order" trilogy that I wrote last year?**

 **Are you looking forward to the final entry and did this chapter help excite you for it?**

 **Constructive feedback is greatly appreciated!**

 **Also a big thank you to "bob parley" and "MKDemigodZ-Warrior" for always taking the time to read and comment on my chapters. Thank you everyone else as well for your readership and support! :)**

 **Catch you all in the sequel "Red vs Blue Season 19".**

 **Have a great day!**

 **~ Monty**


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